Unexpected Alliances
by katybaggins
Summary: Sequel to Beyond Appearances. After settling into the castle, Eugene and Rapunzel have a grand adventure in Screlandria- where Rapunzel is pursued by an unwanted suitor and Eugene pursues his new job as spy.
1. Prologue

A/N: Can you believe it? Another story! I can't help but write about them. :) I hope you enjoy!

Unexpectedly, I haven't had that much schoolwork to do so far. I know, it's shocking to me too. I don't know how often I'll update, but hopefully it will be at least once a week.

Slainte!

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_**Unexpected Alliances **_

_**Prologue**_

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.

-Bible

She rushed into her family's drawing room on her way to her own bedroom, hoping that she could somehow escape her mother's daily questioning. It had been a long, long day, and a hard one and she just didn't want to talk about it. Not that she didn't like talking in general. Of course she did. How could she not with a father like hers? His ability to talk himself out of any situation was as legendary in the kingdom as his past as a thief. Her father liked to talk all right. Sometimes her mother even joked that he talked in his sleep! Yes, you couldn't get her father to stop talking that often. Not to mention that very few things had ever stunned her father into silence. Mother had often told her that she could count the number of times that her father had been rendered speechless on one hand. And Mother frequently said that she was a lot like him.

But today she feared she was not acting like her father at all-he was much tougher than she was. He probably wouldn't have put up with the massive amount of teasing that she had. Instead, he most likely would have beat up the perpetrators or something else that he thought Flynn Rider would do. That's just how he was. Maybe she took after her mother more in this instance. As soon as she thought that, though, she debunked it. Her mother was tough too, like her father. Just in a different and softer way. But tough nonetheless. So if she wasn't like her father, OR her mother, than who _was_ she like?

"How were your lessons, sweetheart?"

Inwardly she kicked herself. Maybe if she hadn't been so caught up in her own dreary thoughts, she would have somehow escaped her mother's question. Or maybe not. Her mother didn't usually miss much when it came to her children and she had probably picked up on her bad mood. At least she wasn't dealing with her father. He never missed _anything, _period. He often cheerfully said that at least one good thing came out of his career as a thief: his almost superhuman powers of observation. Nobody could ever pull anything over on him, he boasted. Generally, she rolled her eyes at when he talked like that, because she knew he was joking most of the time. But she had to admit that in this case, he was absolutely right. He always knew when something was bothering any of his children, and would persistently interrogate them until he found out what the problem was. Then he would try to fix it. Her mother was just as persistent, but at least she was gentler about it.

"Leana?"

Her mother sounded very concerned now, and she almost wished she could curl up her mother's lap and tell her all about it. But she was thirteen now, and she didn't fit there anymore, in more ways then one.

"Aw, Mother, don't worry about it," her twelve year old brother, Flynn, was saying. "She's just being mopey. As usual."

She felt irritation rise up in her. Flynn was not named for her father's alter ego, Flynn Rider, for nothing. And if she was a little like her father, then Flynn was a lot like her father. In some cases, it seemed like there was no distinguishing between the two. They both had the same sense of humor and the same ability to talk somebody's ear off. There was always a quick remark, always some kind of wisecrack to say for every single occasion. They even looked exactly alike, from the hazel eyes to the two unruly locks of hair that never wanted to stay in place. Usually she put up with their joking in good spirits, but today she couldn't handle it. She opened her mouth to say a retort of her own.

"Stop pestering Leana, Flynn. Can't you see that she's upset about something?" Now Arthur was speaking.

She felt a smile creep onto her face. Arthur was well-named too. And if she had to pick a favorite brother, it would have to be Arthur. Even though he was only ten, he was so much like the noble king in the legends already. Kind and valiant, he always stuck up for her, and their youngest brother, Edward. Sometimes she wondered how Arthur and Flynn came from the same parents. They were so different, almost polar opposites.

"Yeah!" said little Edward, eight.

She glanced at him. He was smiling, as usual, and his green eyes sparkled. His name described him well, too: happy or prosperous. Sometimes she thought that Edward had been born with all their mother's cheerfulness, and she had received none of it. She considered her brothers for a moment:

Flynn- the practical joker and wisecrack

Arthur-the gentle and noble

Edward-the perpetually perky

Indeed, their names thoroughly described their nature. Lucky.

Which left her on the outside. Her name didn't describe her at all. Her parents actually hadn't told her much about her name, only that it meant light. She held back a bitter laugh. Ha! She was nothing like it; and even though she didn't want to admit it, Flynn was right about her. She_ had_ been especially moody lately. She didn't mean to be, but it just happened. It seemed that everything about her was just…wrong. From her name, to her boring brown hair and ugly eyes. Her mother tried to cheer her up by saying her eyes were the most beautiful and unusual shade of brown and green, but to her they seemed to be in the middle belonging to neither color. Kind of like her-belonging to neither one of her parents. So she was miserable.

Overcome with ill feelings, she sent a glare to Flynn, and a grateful look to both Arthur and Edward, and then walked away into her room, ignoring her mother entirely.

She lay on her bed, wishing that she was somebody else and somewhere else. Soon, she heard a knock on her door, and she knew it was her mother. She mentally debated about whether or not she wanted to answer it, but decided that she would. She wasn't actually mad at her mother, so why punish her? She walked over to the door and let her mother in silently.

Her mother's eyes were full of concern. "Leana, I'm not going to press you to tell me anything, but I do wish you would tell me what's bothering you."

Something unlocked within her, and she felt a tear slip unintentionally from her eyes, and it was followed by another and another. Soon, she was completely sobbing in her mother's loving arms. Her mother stroked her hair gently, and whispered "it's going to be all right," in her ear. But she didn't feel like it ever would be. "Everything's wrong about me," she sobbed.

Her mother pulled back to look into her teary eyes. "What?" she asked, confused. "Nothing's wrong with you, sweet."

She felt another batch of tears pool behind her eyes. Sweet! She was the furthest thing from it. "Yes, there is!" she choked out. "From my eyes to my hair, everything. Even my name!"

Her mother looked doubly confused now. "Your…name?"

"Yes," she said tearfully. "Why did you ever name me Leana? I'm not like….light at all and nobody has a name like mine here. "

Her mother seemed at a loss for words. "Your name is special," she said finally.

Another wave of irritation rose within her. "Oh yes," she spat. "So special that all the others tease me about it!"

Her mother looked at her, compassionately. "Ah. I'm so sorry."

She knew that her mother _was_ sorry, just not sorry enough to change her name. Nevertheless, she asked anyway. "Isn't there some way…I could be named something…else?"

Her mother's eyes began to take on a certain look, and she realized a story was forthcoming. Her mother loved telling stories about her and her father's adventures. She had heard the story about how they meet in her mother's old tower half a million times, from both her mother's and her father's perspectives. She actually liked the story, and she couldn't decide whose telling was better. Her mother's was focused on the romance, and her father's the adventures. He even started it that way- "This is the story of how I died…" The first time she had heard that, she had cringed, sure that the story was going to be awful. He had to assure her that it was a fun story and she would, in fact, enjoy it. So, even though she still felt miserable, she was curious about her mother's story. Because nobody was better at telling stories than her mother in the entire kingdom. Well, besides her father, of course. He was pretty spectacular at it too.

"Are you going to tell me a story now?" she asked.

Her mother smiled at her. "Actually, yes. I'm surprised I haven't told you this one before. It's about a dear friend of mine with a name that you know well."

She thought about that for a minute. "Is the name…Leana?"

"Of course."

A slow smile spread across her face. "So are you going to tell me this story now?"

Her mother appeared to consider it for a minute, as if weighing her options. "Hmm," she said. "I will, but I want your brothers to hear it too. It's quite a sensational story."

Suddenly, she heard another knock on her door. It opened softly, and her father poked his head in.

"Hello!" he said. "How are my favorite wife and my favorite daughter doing today?"

She let out an unladylike snort. "I'm your only daughter," she told him.

Her mother beamed, and she loved the look her mother had in her eyes whenever her father was in the room: like he was the center of the world. Her father often looked the same way at her mother. It was nice, she decided, to have parents who were so obviously in love with each other.

Her father stroked his chin. "Hmmm…..nuance. _Minor _detail." He cleared his throat. "So what were you two talking about?"

Her mother answered. "I was going to tell her the story about Screlandria and Leana."

He looked only mildly horrified. "Oh no," he groaned. "Why that story? I'm afraid I was a terrible bear in that one. Can't you tell another? Like one where I do something heroic? I _could _tell her a story about my Flynn Rider days if she's looking for something exciting. For example…"

Her mother smirked and interrupted him. "I'm afraid not. Leana here needs to hear about her namesake."

His facial expression changed instantly to resignation. "Ah. Well, if you have to tell it, then you must let me tell part of it too. How else will she get the right impression of me?"

She watched her mother grin broadly. "Ahem. I _usually_ portray you correctly. But if you insist…."

He looked at her sternly, but she could tell it was an act. He wasn't_ really _mad or stern with her mother. Ever. "I do."

"Okay," her mother agreed. "But I get to start the story."

He let out a sigh. "Oh, all right. It _does_ begin with you anyway. But I get to say the first sentence."

Her mother was bemused. "And why is that?"

"Because I always begin stories the best."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Leana watched as her brothers gathered around her parents. She could tell that they were just as excited as she was to hear this story. Both of them told amazing stories separately but together? It would be beyond fantastic.

"So?" she asked impatiently.

Her father acted like he didn't know what she was talking about. "So…"

"So can you start the story?"

"Start the story? You want me to tell you a story?" he said, confused.

Her mother shoved him playfully. "Eugene! Just begin already, will you? Can't you see they're excited?"

"Oh all right," He conceded. "Well," He said grandly. "This is the story….."


	2. Tedious Lessons

A/N: to avoid confusion, I am going to explain how this story will work. I was planning on having it be something like my last story where Rapunzel is actually telling the story to you, the reader, but in reality she is telling it to her kids (ie Leana). And I decided to have Eugene tell parts of it too, because that was so fun the last time.

So to avoid further confusion, I'm going to change the type of fonts:

_Italic- always Leana, listening to the story_

Regular type- Always Rapunzel's perspective in the story

**Bold- Always Eugene's perspective in the story**

Does that make sense? Kind of, sort of, maybe? I hope so. I'm not planning on changing Rapunzel or Eugene's perspective within the chapters itself because that is just too confusing. For me, and for you.

Hope you enjoy!**  
**

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_**Chapter 1-Tedious Lessons**_

"Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale  
Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man

-William Shakespeare, _King John_

"_This is the story of how I saved Corona-"_

_Her mother interrupted him with a frown. "_You _saved_ _Corona? Alone? Are you sure about that?"_

_He frowned right back. "Hey! I thought you said _I_ could say the first sentence!"_

"_I did. But you have to tell it right!" she protested._

"_Oh, all right," he said. "This is the story of how _we_ saved Corona-"_

"_Thank _you_!"_

"_And did other such heroic deeds that the world had never seen before," he finished and turned to her mother. "All right, it's all yours." _

"_Thank you," she said and began. "Well, like your father said, this is the exciting tale of how we saved Corona. However, as thrilling as the end of this story is, it begins quite differently. It all started three months after I reunited my parents. And I really have to say that being with them was the only fun thing about life in the castle..."_

_"Hey!" her father yelped. "what about me?"  
_

"_Oh, all right," she conceded. "_One_ of the only things. __It was nice having you there too. But other than that, everything else was…pretty dreary. I had to spend most of my time cooped up, being taught how to be a princess…."_

"Rapunzel! Stop daydreaming!"

My head jerked in the direction of my etiquette teacher, Lady Margaret Gray, who was scowling at me. "Sorry," I apologized, because it was the princess-y thing to do. But I felt like scowling right back at her. If her lessons weren't so tedious in the first place, then I maybe would have paid better attention. It wasn't as if I didn't care about learning because I did. I actually enjoyed most of my lessons with my other teacher, Andrew Tudor. His tutoring sessions were full of facts about Corona, its history, science, geometry, matters of state, and all sorts of other interesting things.

In complete contrast were Lady Gray's lessons of etiquette. The only thing she ever talked to me about was…really all the things I _couldn't_ do as princess. She even had a list that engraved itself in my brain permanently:

**Rule #1: Never talk to the servants.** Lady Gray appeared to think that I should treat them like they weren't there. Why this was, I still have no idea, because I thought it was more polite to thank them for their service than deny their existence entirely. That seemed much more improper to me. How would I like it if all the people I helped treated me like a piece of furniture? I would hate it.

**Rule #2: Never cook anything for myself**. I have to say that I hated this rule too. During my life up in the tower, I basically cooked all my meals, except for the very rare occasions when my….Well, I still don't know what to call her. My fake mother? Gothel? That Witch Who Almost Ruined My Life And Killed Eugene? Anyway, those rare occasions when _she_ made something for me. And since I had grown used to it and even enjoyed it, I missed it now that I couldn't do it for myself. Not that the food in the castle wasn't good, because it was. There was just something nice about eating something you had made yourself. Besides that (and sadly), I had really no use for Hesty now that I couldn't fry anything. Though Eugene would tell me (jokingly, I hoped) that I could hit Lady Gray with it when I was particularly bored. I don't think I need to tell you that hitting people with frying pans was not on the list of acceptable princess behavior.

**Rule #3: Never look like anything other than perfection**. Well, you would think that as a girl I wouldn't mind this one (and I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy all my new clothes). But that's before you know what Lady Gray really meant by this. By perfection she means-Never, ever, do anything that would bring any dirt onto your clothes. Mud is horrible and so is anything like it. Princess stay in their palace doing princess-y and quiet things. Princesses do not do anything adventurous like jump off cliffs or swing by their hair. I'm not joking, she really told me that. I tried to explain that I couldn't do that anyway since Eugene cut my hair and for all I knew the other 69 feet of it was still back in the tower. But she somehow didn't believe me (she must have believed all the palace gossip), like she thought I had it somewhere hidden in my room. My question is: Why would I want 69 feet of brown and dead hair that reminds me of the worst day of my entire life?

**Rule #4: Never hunch over or have anything other than perfect posture**. Hmmm. This one isn't terrible, but to ensure that my posture was, in fact, perfect, she made me walk around our study room with a book on my head. For hours. The first few times I did it wasn't horrible, but after 3 months? Yes, it grew quite tiresome. My posture did improve in both dancing and horseback riding, though. That was something because they were two of the lessons that I enjoyed the most and I liked feeling as if I could do them well. And furthermore, those lessons were the few that Eugene was occasionally allowed to join.

**Rule #5: Never act with anything other than the utmost decorum**. This rule actually appears to make sense, at first anyway. But I soon realized that my definition of decorum and Lady Gray's definition of decorum were two very different things. Decorum to me meant acting in a respectful manner to everyone. Decorum to her meant that I essentially acted as quiet as a mouse. No running, racing, leaping, bounding, chasing. None of it. I'm sure she would have added dancing as well but that was something that every princess needed to do at balls. And she _had _to teach me to waltz because my parents were planning a big introduction ball for me in a few weeks at the end of September. No, I wasn't anxious about it. Ha ha, not at all. I was only sick every time I even thought about it. Of course, I pretended the opposite with everyone other than Eugene. He knew how I felt about it, and basically everything else that I had to do since I had arrived in the castle. I suppose I could have told my parents about my feelings, but our relationship was so new that I didn't want to upset them.

**Rule #6: Never discuss anything that is considered controversial. ** Which is basically everything, I have to say. The only things that seemed safe to her were clothes and the weather. Of course, religion and politics were to be avoided. Also topping her list was anything that proper society would consider taboo and I think you can probably figure out some of what I mean by that. Other things that were controversial were the poor in Corona, and anything else that didn't portray the government in the best light.

**Rule #7: Never lose your temper or show your anger. **This one I understood easily, and actually didn't mind it too much. I was generally a cheerful person and I could remember only becoming boiling mad maybe once or twice in my life. Suffice to say, I don't usually get angry that often so I wasn't too worried about it. At that point anyway (little did I know….).

**Rule #8: Never act with anything other than diplomacy with foreigners.** This one made sense as well, but it had a tendency to make me extremely nervous. What if I somehow insulted one of our allies? What would happen to Corona then? Princesses seem to have life so easy, but I can tell you that it is much more than "happily ever after." It's a real job. You have to pretend to like everyone and dance around matters for fear of offending someone. You have to know how to get what's best for your kingdom while making sure that the other side thinks that they are. You have to keep your country out of wars and in treaties. So, fun right?

**Rule #9: Never marry anyone who isn't of noble blood.** Actually, she didn't outright tell me this one. No one did. But I could figure it out. People at court saw our budding romance and pretended to, how should I say this? Look the other way? Act like it didn't matter? But I could tell that it did. Eugene's "lack" of noble blood was like the proverbial elephant in the room that they saw and didn't acknowledge. But it _was_ there, and I could see that although my parents were grateful to him for bringing me back and liked him as a person, he wasn't the ideal suitor for a princess simply because he wasn't a prince or anything else like it (not to mention that, until recently, he had been the most wanted thief in all of Corona!).Well, I can't tell you how much I wanted to tell them that he was the son of one of their lords but I knew it was something that I couldn't say. Illegitimate sons of lords were, of course, another thing that princesses never discussed.

**Rule #10: Never day-dream during these lessons. They are more important than you can ever imagine. If you do not pay attention, you will be a horrible princess and bring your country down in ruins. **

"Rapunzel! Are you day-dreaming _again_?"

Oops.


	3. Of Horses and Hearsay

A/N: So this is the first looong part that I've ever written from Eugene's PoV and I hope he's...himself enough. haha. If he needs more snark, PLEASE just let me know and I'll see what I can come up with :)

UPDATE 2/4: I have writer's block right now. I know. I'm completely shocked too, because I've hardly ever had it. But I do now, and so I'm not sure what should happen next. (I mean, I obviously know where the story is going, so don't worry! but I don't have like an outline or anything. Maybe I should make one now. maybe that would be a good idea. haha) Anyway, all this is to say that the next chapter will be longer in coming.

Thanks! And if you have any ideas for the story that you would like to see in it, just message me and I'll see what I can do. :)

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_**Chapter 2-Of Horses and Hearsay**_

"It isn't what they say about you, it's what they whisper."

-Errol Flynn

_Her mother sighed. "I had daydreamed once again, despite my best efforts."_

_Leana watched as her brother Flynn tried to stifle a laugh. "Wow, Mother, I had no idea you had such a….rebel spirit in you," he said. "Daydreaming during your princess lessons!"_

_Her mother looked surprised. "I wasn't trying to be a rebel!" she defended herself. "I just had trouble paying attention to those silly lessons." _

_Leana spoke up, much to her own surprise. "I don't think it's fair of you to judge her, Flynn. Don't you complain about your tutoring sessions constantly too? And Lady Gray sounds much more awful than your teacher would ever be."_

_Flynn began to sputter and Leana knew that for once she had the upper hand. And that was cemented by the next words out of her father's mouth. "Leana's right," he said and she beamed proudly. "Those lessons truly were terrible and Lady Gray was the mousiest woman I've ever met in my life. If I had to listen to her drone on and on, like your mother did, I would have done way more than just daydream." _

_Leana was happy that her father agreed with her, but he was talking quite seriously and that didn't happen all the time. She wondered if there was something wrong but then he smirked. "And of course, she was distracted by thoughts of a certain charming and handsome man." _

_Her mother smiled back. "Well, of course! But back to the story…."_

_He cleared his throat. "Oh, right. So what happened after your lessons?"_

_She thought for a minute. "Hmmm. Well, I think that was the afternoon that you came with me for my horseback riding lessons, and I asked you to do a certain something."_

_He nodded. "That's right. I think I should tell this part since it concerns me...so directly." _

_Her mother sat back in her chair. "Go ahead."_

"_Right," he said. "Like your mother said, after she finished with Lady Gray I joined in on her horseback riding lessons…"_

**I paced back and forth restlessly in front of Maximus' stall, waiting for Rapunzel. Actually, waiting for Rapunzel had become a fairly common occurrence in the past few months- waiting for Rapunzel to finish her tutoring sessions, waiting for Rapunzel to finish her etiquette lessons, waiting for Rapunzel to finish her daily visits with her parents, and on and on and on. She usually had some kind of princess duty, and I hardly ever got to see her. Her days were full as her new role of princess, and my days were empty as my new role of….Hmm. A non-thief? Eugene Fitzherbert? Rapunzel's beau? As much as I hated to admit it, because I considered myself fairly adaptable to any situation, I hadn't really adjusted to this one. I had nothing to do and so I was bored out of my mind. Sometimes I even got stuck with Pascal, Rapunzel's frog, because if Lady Gray ever saw it, she would have thrown a fit. Pretty much everyone in the castle would have too. I had never seen such an uptight group of people who couldn't take a joke. **

"**Hey, waiting for Princess Rapunzel again?" **

**I craned my neck in the direction of the voice. It was Philip, Rapunzel's riding instructor and one of the few people here that I actually liked. Though I had to say it was strange to hear her being called **_**Princess**_**. To me she would always be Rapunzel, the bare-footed and simple girl who I had met up in the tower. "Yes."**

**Philip winked at me. "Well, I'm sure she'll be here soon." He knew of our relationship and was one of the few here who didn't act like it was something improper. He even let us ride off occasionally and talk, for which I was grateful. It was the only time we ever had to be alone. **

**Soon we both heard the scamper of feet, and Rapunzel quickly appeared, flushed and pretty. "Sorry Philip," she apologized. "Lady Gray kept me late because she caught me day-dreaming again."**

**He smiled at her kindly. "That's quite all right. I know how she can be. I'll go and saddle Cassandra for you."**

**Cassandra! Only Rapunzel would name her horse after a princess in a Greek myth. "Thank you," she said gratefully. **

"**And how about you?" he asked me.**

**I felt a very hard poke in my back. **_**Maximus. **_**Clearly, he wanted to come with us today. And if I didn't say him, he'd probably keep poking me until I did, possibly even harder the next time. "Uh, Maximus, I guess."**

**His eyes danced with amusement. He knew all about Maximus' and my rocky relationship and I'm sure he was curious to see who would come out on top today. "All right. You too go wait outside and I'll bring them out."**

"**Thank you," Rapunzel said again. You know, she really had that whole courteous and polite thing down and I still didn't know why she had to spend so much of her time stuck with Madame Etiquette. I'd never seen her be anything other than gracious since she had arrived in the palace. In fact, she was more courteous than some of the so-called ladies and gentlemen that lived here. She turned to me and smiled. "Hello, Eugene."**

_**Eugene. **_**Even though I had gone back to that name 3 months ago, it still felt…odd to be called that. I had spent ten years being called Flynn Rider, and it was strange to be known as anything else. Not to mention that I had never liked the name Eugene Fitzherbert to begin with, which was why I had changed it in the first place. Eugene didn't sound like a bandit, and when I stole more and more, I told everyone my name was Flynn Rider. Yes, of course that's the only reason why I changed it. It had nothing to do with the fact that my birth name reminded me of my scummy father. Oh, no, not at all. "Hey. How was Madame Etiquette?" I asked as we walked out of the stable.**

**She made a face. "Awful. Today she went on and on about how princess should be 'the standard of propriety.'"**

**I couldn't help a laugh. "Oh, really?" **

"**Yes," she said. "It was the most tedious thing ever. I felt like I would die of complete boredom."**

**I chuckled again. "Well, I'm glad you didn't."**

**Philip arrived with the horses-white Maximus, and chestnut Cassandra. "I am too!" he said. "Then I wouldn't be able to teach you another lesson."**

** XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Philip's lesson was fun, naturally, and I loved seeing the smile on Rapunzel's face when she rode. She enjoyed it, and seeing her happy made me happy. Wait, you say, Flynn Rider would never think something like that! I know, I've become such a sap. Well, that happens when you really care about somebody. Anyway, after the lesson, Philip did his whole 'wink-wink-nudge-nudge' routine and told us that Rapunzel needed more practice out in the pasture and if I didn't mind, would I please see that she did? I did my own wink-wink routine back and said that I wouldn't mind at all. So, we set out, a companionable silence between us. **

"**So," I asked. "Heard any news from the palace lately?" This was actually a standard question. Rapunzel and I were a constant piece of gossip among everyone in the palace and I was the only person to whom she could vent about it when she wanted. And she usually did. Generally, I didn't care what people thought because the only opinion that mattered to me was Rapunzel's. But she was far more sensitive, and all the whispering surrounding us made her upset, mostly because the truth mattered so much to her. And all the prattling going on wasn't typically even remotely close to it. I don't know how she found out all of what she knew, but somehow she heard every single bit of the gossip. **

**She glanced at me. "Yes. And it's terrible." **

"**What is it?" I asked kindly.**

**She seemed hesitant. "Well," she said slowly. "It was mostly about…you this time."**

**Secretly, I was glad it was me this time. I could easily brush it off and make her laugh about it. It was not so easy when it concerned her. "Yeah? And what did the old biddies say?"**

"**Well," she began again. "They said that they were surprised that you were still here after three months, that they thought my parents would have found somebody better for me by now and sent you packing. And that you shouldn't be with me because you weren't rich or anything." By the end of her speech, her face was almost red with fury **

**I wanted to say something to make her feel better, but to be honest? Sometimes, in moments of weakness, I thought the same thing. I wasn't rich or titled. I wasn't royal or a prince. I was only a poor, orphan, ex-thief. She was a princess. What if one day she decided that I wasn't enough? "Oh," I said finally. "So they basically act like it doesn't matter to your face?"**

"**Yes! It makes me so angry," she said heatedly. "They pretend like your 'lack' of noble blood doesn't bother them, but I can tell that it does. It's like they think you're not good enough for me or something because you're not a prince."**

"**Oh, ha ha," I laughed half-halfheartedly, hoping that somehow she wouldn't catch my duplicity. **

**She did, naturally, and looked at me significantly. "You don't believe it…do you?"**

_**Yes. **_**"No, of course not," I said boldly. "Why would they ever think that? I mean, I'm charming, handsome, witty, clever, not to mention brave, cunning. Any princess would be **_**lucky**_** to have me as a suitor."**

**She sent another look my way. "Riight," she said meaningfully. "You don't believe it at all."**

**I sighed. Rapunzel's powers of perception were probably one of the things I loved-but sometimes disliked if I was entirely truthful- most about her. And those abilities had both advantages and disadvantages. On the upside, she always knew what I was feeling. On the downside, she always knew what I was feeling. I mean, my Flynn Rider bravado act **_**never**_** worked on her, unfortunately. She constantly saw right through it. Of course, today was no exception.**

**She let out a sigh too. "Eugene," she said. "Do you remember what I told you the night…**_**she**_** did what she did?" **

**She did what she did-Rapunzel's nice way of referring to that time, in the not so distant past- when Gothel had stabbed me with a dagger, essentially killed me, and tried to hold Rapunzel against her will. So, one of my fondest memories. Not. **

**She-Rapunzel's nice way of saying Gothel. Even after three months, she didn't know what to call the woman who had raised her. I did though, and none of them were very nice, I can tell you that. Like witch, hag, ogress, shrew, imbecile, numskull, miscreant, pond scum, scoundrel, reprobate, Satan incarnate. You get the idea. Of course, I didn't say those in front of her because I knew it would punish the wrong person. Even though Gothel was a witch, Rapunzel still felt something for her, and it would be cruel for me to show my true feelings because it would only make Rapunzel sad. There was nothing I hated more than seeing a sad Rapunzel. **

**But she didn't ask me what she should call Gothel. She asked me if I remembered what she told me at our campfire. Well, of course I did. I never forgot anything. My infallible memory was one of my many talents. She said, and I quote, "**Please don't ever feel like you have to….pretend with me. If Eugene feels a certain way, don't let _Flynn_ cover it up. I want you to be honest with me, and don't worry that it will change the way I feel about you. Because it won't. All right?"

**Actually, even if I didn't have a perfect memory, (which I do, by the way), I would have still remembered that. It was probably the nicest thing anyone had said to me in at least ten years. **

"**Eugene?" **

**Oh. She was still waiting for me to answer her. "You said that you wanted me to always be honest with you." **

"**And?" she prompted.**

"**And…that I shouldn't ever worry that it will change the way you feel about me. Because it won't," I said.**

**She smiled, pleased. "Right. So do you want to try answering that again?"**

_**No, not particularly. **_**If it was anybody else, I would have clammed up. But this was Rapunzel, and I would do or say anything for her. Besides that, she had a way of making me feel that I could tell her anything. This was something different though, and I wasn't sure I could be completely honest. I had to try though. "Well," I hedged. "Sometimes, uh..." I couldn't say anything further.**

**But she got the idea. "Eugene," she said. "You will always be worth more than ten princes to me. So don't ever think what you're thinking. Like you always say, the biddies are blockheads and we shouldn't listen to them. Because they're always wrong, and they're wrong about this too."**

**Unbelievable. That was exactly what I needed to hear from her. How did she know? **

"**Besides that," she continued and paused, seemingly unsure of what to say next.**

"**Besides that…" I encouraged.**

**She looked me straight in the eyes. "Eugene, I know," she said. **

**She knew? Huh? Suddenly, I felt very confused. You know, the funny thing about her is that she had this eerie ability to leave me completely surprised. And as an orphan and a thief, there isn't much that did. Yet with her, I found myself in a continual state of bewilderment. "You know…what?" **

"**I know about your father," she said.**

"**My…father?" Father! The word was totally foreign to me and felt rusty on my tongue. **

"**Yes," she said in an apologetic voice. "I saw the letter when I went to get the money during the festival and read it. I'm sorry."**

**Wait, she knew about Lord Hebert? And my mother? "You read my mother's letter?" I asked stupidly. **

**She looked worried now. "Yes. Are you mad?" **

**She had read my mother's letter to me, the one she wrote before she died! I considered what she had done for a moment. I probably should have been mad, but I wasn't. Actually, I doubt that she would ever make me angry. And there wasn't much that I wouldn't do for her either. She had me completely wrapped around her finger, and she didn't even know it (and it's a good thing she was so sweet. Most girls would have taken way more advantage of it). "No," I said finally. "But I am surprised at your sneakiness."**

**Her cheeks turned pink. "I wasn't trying to be sneaky."**

**Rapunzel. Sneak. Hmm. Now that I thought about it, Rapunzel and sneak actually didn't really fit together in the same sentence. "No, of course not," I assured her. And I meant it too because there was nothing underhanded about her. The word straightforward described her perfectly. Me, on the other hand? Well, that was an entirely different story. I was the very definition of a sneak. Or at least I had been before I met Rapunzel. She had this uncanny knack of bringing out the good in me and at the same time make me want to be a better person. **

"**So you **_**are**_** noble," she said with a smile. **

**Me? Noble? I guess I was, but the thought of my being a noble was so completely laughable. And I couldn't help but let one out. "Well, I guess I am. What do you know about that?"**

**She laughed too, a joyful sound. "So you shouldn't listen to them. Because you are one."**

**Right. A noble…Only by a fluke of nature, though. Despite what she said, I still felt…somewhat unworthy of her (Ugh. I hate admitting that). And I wished there was something I could do to prove my worthiness, my devotion to Rapunzel to the palace biddies. I would probably undergo anything to do so. Did I mention I would probably do anything for Rapunzel too? I would even die for her. **

**Wait. **

**I guess I had already done that. **

"**Eugene?" **

**Her voice startled me out of my thoughts. "Yes?"**

**She sighed again. "You didn't hear my question, did you?"**

"**Uh…well, no," I admitted reluctantly.**

**She looked somewhat petulantly at me. "I asked, how do you like life in the palace?"**

**Life in the palace…Well, the rooms are nice and commodious, but not seeing you often is awful. And all the people are stuffy and I don't like how they get to you. I decided not to say that, though. "It's nice being with you," I said instead. "That's the highlight for me."**

**She blushed. Very prettily, I might add. "Thank you. It's nice having you here too." Then her eyes took on a more sober look. "But more seriously, are you happy here? I know that I'm not around all that often, and I worry that you might be…I don't know, bored or something."**

**Ha! She didn't know the half of it. I was beyond bored! Boredom had ended the second day, and so I was way past it. What's beyond boredom? Well, whatever it was, I was there. "Well," I said. "Sometimes I might feel a little like that."**

**She looked smug. As smug as she can look, anyway. She's not really the type to reveal in others discomfort. "That's what I thought. What you need is some kind of project or something to keep you busy."**

**A…project? Work? "Actually," I said hastily. "Being lazy **_**does**_** have its merits, you know. Like for instance…."**

**Her eyes lit up and I could tell she hadn't heard anything I had just said. "I know! How about you go help out at the orphanage?"**

**The orphanage? Oh, bad idea. Very bad idea. No, no, no. Not happening. I am not revisiting that period of my life. But how to dissuade her? Hmmm. "I don't think my talents would be very useful there," I said. **

**She would not be deterred. "Oh, that's not true," she continued excitedly. "You told me about how you used to read stories to the other kids! I'm sure they would love to have you." **

**Somehow Pascal was starting to look really good now. So did unending boredom. "No, I don't think so, Rapunzel."**

**She looked at me, with her lips pouting out. "Please, Eugene?" she asked.**

**I felt some of my reluctance melt away. She just looked too cute! "Well…"**

**She began to bat her eyelashes at me. Adorable. "Please? For me?" **

**Wow. She's really good. Did I mention she had me wrapped around her finger? I don't think I could ever say no to her when she looked at me like that. "Well,…..All right," I said, giving in. **

**She squealed. "Yay!" She beamed a huge smile at me. Does she know how that makes my heart melt? Seriously, I'm like butter around her. "You won't regret this."**

**I sure hope not.**


	4. A Chat Beside the Chrysanthemums

A/N: So the cure for my writer's block was to write. Isn't that funny? But that's really how I got out of it, I just sat and wrote.

Thank you to those who are reading this story! I appreciate any and all readers..and reviewers!

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_**Chapter 3-A Chat beside the Chrysanthemums **_

"I should have known what fruit would spring from such a seed."

-George Gordon, Lord Byron

_Leana shifted in her seat, and glanced over at her brothers. Edward and Arthur seemed to be enjoying the story, but Flynn looked like he was on the verge of laughter. Again. Leana sighed, because she knew some kind of wisecrack was sure to come out of his mouth. She expected it would be aimed at her father this time, and secretly she was glad, because he could obviously handle it. Of course he could! Not that her mother couldn't, because she could too. But her father had the potential to be more firm; and maybe, just maybe, he would be able to stop Flynn's jokes long enough so that they could finish the rest of the story without interruption. _

"_Wow, I didn't know you could be so...easily manipulated," Flynn cracked. "Would you do what I wanted if I did the same things?"_

_Leana scowled. Her father wasn't easily manipulated, and her mother wasn't a manipulator. Flynn was just being a pest, like usual. She desperately wanted to tell him to just shut up, but she knew that saying that would only earn her a scolding from her mother. "Leana!" she would say, appalled. "A proper princesses doesn't tell others to shut up." And telling others to shut up, of course, was not on the list of proper princess behavior either. _

_Her father frowned. Not a good sign for Flynn, because her father hardly ever frowned. Grin, yes. Smirk, absolutely. But frown? Never ever. It only happened when he was annoyed or angry about something, neither of which would be good news for Flynn. _

"_Flynn," he said sternly. "I think you owe your mother an apology." _

_Leana's eyebrows rose in surprise. That's not what she expected her father to say at all. But now that she thought about it, it did make sense. Clearly, if you mess with Rapunzel (her mother's name), you mess with him. There was nothing he loved in the world more than her mother, and he probably hated it when anybody said anything against her, especially when it was so entirely untrue. Not to mention mean and disrespectful. Her mother was the complete opposite of a manipulator, and Flynn should have known better than to say something so idiotic. _

"_Aw, but you know I didn't mean-" he protested.  
_

"_Now, Flynn." _

_Leana cringed at the iron she heard in her father's voice. She had probably only seen him angry maybe three or four times in her life, and since it happened so infrequently, she had forgotten how daunting he could be. She didn't envy Flynn right now, and a quick look at her other brothers showed her that they felt the same. _

_Flynn stared at his feet. "I'm sorry, Mother," he said softly. _

"_That's quite all right." Mother smiled gently. "Would you like to hear what happened next?" _

_Leana spoke up. "Oh please do!"_

"_All right," Mother continued. "Well, it took another week or so, but Eugene did eventually go to the orphanage like I'd asked. One Tuesday afternoon he went for the first time, and I eagerly waited to hear what had happened there. I was so excited that, I have to admit, I couldn't focus on Lady Gray's lessons at all…_

I squirmed in my chair, wishing that somehow this afternoon would pass quickly. That was highly unlikely, though, unfortunately. Today she was telling me all of the guests who would be at the ball- now only 10 days away- and I knew that I should be paying more attention than I was. I mean, the names of the guests was actually something important, at least in comparison to all of Lady Gray's other lessons. What if I met somebody and they expected me to know their name and I didn't? It would reflect badly on me. I attempted to pay attention, but I just couldn't do it. Eugene had gone to the orphanage today, and I was positively dying of curiosity. Did he like it? Did anybody recognize him? Did he read stories to the children?

"Now don't forget the names of the lords that are coming, Princess Rapunzel. Their names are vitally important for reasons that I'm sure I don't need to mention. First there is Lord Seymour…."

For the first time, in many days, something that Lady Gray said actually caught my attention. "Wait," I asked politely. "Do you mean Lord _Herbert _Seymour?"

She scowled at me, though it really had no affect on me. She scowled at me at least five times per lesson and it had lost any effect after the first twenty. "Princess Rapunzel," she said sternly. "How many times have I told you that Princesses never interrupt?"

Do you think that I added that capital p in princess for amusement? No, I did not. She always said princesses like that, with a capital P, I guess, to show what a Proper Princess did. Proper Princesses do x, Proper Princesses never do y….and on and on. It was very irritating. She always said my name annoyingly too: it was always Princess Rapunzel. I told her the first day that I really didn't mind being called just plain Rapunzel, because that's what I had been called for eighteen years (well, besides being called Flower or Pet. But I didn't want to be called that either, for obvious reasons), and in private she was welcome to call me that. But she only sniffed and said that a Proper Princess never allowed others to call her by anything other than her title. I told her that she could simply call me Princess then, but she sniffed at that too. So I was always _P_rincess _R_apunzel, since she wouldn't call me simply Rapunzel or Princess. Which was what everyone else said. Well, most called me Princess. Only three people called me Rapunzel, and I'm sure you can guess who those three were.

"I know, Lady Gray," I said. "But I'm sorry; did you say that Lord _Herbert _Seymour will be there?"

She looked at me, as if I was a dolt (another thing I disliked about her). I hate being looked at like I was a dolt. "Are you suddenly hard of hearing, Princess Rapunzel? Yes, I said that Lord Herbert Seymour is coming," she said snobbishly.

"Thank you, Lady Gray," I said graciously (because a Proper Princess, you know, is always gracious). "I apologize again for the interruption."

She frowned once more, and then continued to list the lords. "Then there is Lord Howard, and Lord Parr, and…."

I tuned Lady Gray out. Lord Seymour was coming, the Duke of Somerset! Or, as he was better known to me, Eugene's father. I wonder how he would take the news that his father would be at the ball. I would tell him, of course. How could I do anything else? If it were my father, I would want to know, for sure. I decided I would tell him today, when I saw him after he returned from the orphanage.

"…and lastly, Lord Brandon. Now the earls and barons of the kingdom…" she continued.

I sighed. It was going to be a very long afternoon.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Somehow I managed to get through it, though, without any further hassling of Lady Gray, and rushed off to Eugene's and my secret spot. Yes, we actually did have one, though we tried not to go there that often because it always caused such scandalous gossip among the palace residents. Somehow someone always saw us, no matter how careful we were, and told many more that they had seen That Thief (that's what they called him, behind his back- and mine, too, because I would never let anyone call him anything other than his name) and the Princess in the garden together. Oh the scandal!

We actually didn't really do anything scandalous though. Well, all right, sometimes I let him kiss me. But that was it, honestly. I wouldn't go further than that, and he knew it even if the biddies didn't. We both knew that my parents would have our heads if we did. I was a princess now, and my behavior (as Lady Gray would say) must be above reproach.

Anyway, we only went to our secret spot in the garden when we had something important to talk about and we had both decided that today would qualify. So I waited for him to meet me at the bench under the arbor by the chrysanthemums, hoping that everything went well. I tried not to be too nervous about the news that I was going to share with him about his father. It seemed to me that I waited a very long time, but it probably wasn't more than five or ten minutes before he finally showed.

Maybe showed isn't the right word. Actually, what really happened was that I felt my head grow lighter somehow and I had a feeling I knew why. "Eugene," I called. "Just come out already will you?"

He emerged from one of the surrounding bushes, looking very much like the proverbial cat that swallowed the canary, his hands behind his back. I sighed, sure that I knew what happened. "And give me my tiara back, won't you?" I asked politely.

His smile stretched wider. "Tiara?" he said innocently. "What tiara?"

I sighed again. Usually I didn't mind his games, but today I was a little…edgy. I wanted to hear about what happened, and I had my own news to tell, news that he might not like. At all. "You know very well what tiara I mean," I said and held out my hand.

He shook his head. "Uh-uh," he told me. "You know our deal."

Eugene and I had actually made many deals, but I knew the one he was referring to-the "I Steal Your Tiara, You Kiss Me To Get It Back" deal. I smiled, because no matter how annoyed I was, I couldn't ever say that I didn't enjoy this. "Okay, _Eugene Fitzherbert_," I said. "Get over here, and I'll do my part." I scouted over so he could sit next to me on the bench. He did (placing the tiara carefully on the grass), and then looked expectantly at me. I pulled him toward me by his shirt collar-like I had for our first one, back in the tower-and kissed him. He returned my kiss eagerly, and his hands cradled my head. Soon we finished, and smiled at each other. "My tiara, if you please," I requested politely. He picked it up from the grass, and gently placed it on my head. "Your tiara, milady," he joked.

"Thank _you._ So…" I asked expectantly.

He acted like he didn't know what I was talking about. "So…."

He really was going to make me spell it out today, wasn't he? "So…what happened at the orphanage?"

"What orphanage?" he asked.

I shoved him, impatient. "Eugene!"

He laughed. "You are really easy to tease today, you know that?"

"And you are really easy to persuade, you know that?" I tossed back, certain he would remember how easily I had convinced him to go to the orphanage in the first place.

He clutched his chest in fake pain. "Oh, ow! You've wounded me, milady!"

I laughed, because I couldn't stay annoyed very long around him. He was just so silly sometimes! "That's right. And as penance, you must tell me everything that happened."

He grinned. "All right. Well, I went there and the head of the orphanage was actually the same lady as when I had been there-Mary."

"Really?" I asked. "So she knew you?"

_ "_Yeah," he said. "And she was really happy to see me, too."

I smiled, glad he had been welcomed. "Well, of course! Why wouldn't she be happy to see somebody as charming as you?" I teased.

He beamed, just like I knew he would. I never saw somebody who loved so many compliments, genuine or not. "Naturally. That's exactly what I thought too, and then I asked her what she would like me to do."

Curiosity filled me. "And? What did she have you do?"

He frowned, but I wasn't sure if he was serious or not. Not until he spoke, anyway. "She had me read stories to the other children the whole afternoon. It was such hard work. I don't think I'll ever do it again."

I laughed because I knew when he was joking and when he wasn't. And he was joking now-it really hadn't been that bad. "Ha! You_ liked_ it, didn't you? I knew you would!"

He faked a pout. "Oh no, you caught me enjoying a good deed. Whatever will happen to my reputation now?"

I chuckled. "Improve, silly! Maybe now the biddies will stop calling you 'That Thief' behind your back."

"Oh, no," he moaned. "Just when I had become fond of that name!" We both laughed for a good thirty seconds. You know, I don't think I've ever known anybody who could make me laugh for so hard or for so long as he did. It was nice.

Once we had stopped laughing, he looked seriously at me. "Is that why you asked me to go? Because you wanted to improve my reputation among the biddies?"

"No," I said. "I asked you to go because _you_ wanted to improve your reputation among the biddies." It was true too, and he could deny it forever. But I knew that somewhere deep down, in a place he would never let me see, he did want to prove that he was worthy of me to the palace people. I don't know why he didn't understand that he already had done that, back in the tower, and nothing that he could do now would ever top the sacrifice he had made there. He had essentially died for me, for heaven's sake! But for some strange male reason, that I know I'll never understand, it wasn't enough to make him worthy of a princess. "And I hated seeing you so bored."

A myriad of emotions played out across his face-first surprise, then confusion, then indignation, then resignation. "I guess so," he said vaguely.

Which basically could be taken two ways- it could mean "Yes, Rapunzel, I guess so-you're right, I do want to improve my reputation among the biddies." Or it could mean, "Yes, Rapunzel, I guess so- I was bored and this did help." Oh, he was very good at being evasive-those three words were genius. And it brought about the desired result: I didn't know what to say.

He did, though. "So do you have any interesting news or anything?" he asked.

Unintentionally, he had given me the perfect way to tell him about his father. "Actually, yes," I said. "Lady Gray was telling me about who was coming to the ball next week."

He looked at me oddly, as if he thought I was crazy. "And that's supposed to be interesting?" _Why on earth would be all the lords and barons and earls be interesting,_ his eyes said.

I forced a laugh. This was much harder than I expected! "Well, there might be one guest who's of interest to _you_."

Suddenly his eyes became guarded, and I had a feeling he knew what I was about to say. I had already told him that I knew who his father was, that he was a lord here in Corona. I also thought I would always feel bad that I had read that letter, even though he said he wasn't mad at me for doing it. Obviously, his father was one of the very few things that made him angry. And for obvious reasons. "Yes?" he asked stiffly. "And who is that?"

I took a deep breath. "Well," I said slowly. "Lady Gray said that Lord Seymour was coming."

His entire countenance turned to complete stone at the mention of his name. Amazing. "Really?" he said through clenched teeth. "Well, make sure he stays far away from me, won't you?"

Guilt gnawed at me even though none of this was my fault. I was only trying to help, to warn him. I hated seeing him so angry, though I was sure I would probably feel the same way. "Of course," I told him in my gentlest voice. "I'll do what I can. I just…I just thought you should know."

He stood up abruptly. "Well, thank you, Rapunzel. I appreciate it. Now if you don't mind, I think I have something to attend to before dinner."

My mouth dropped slightly open, shocked that he was leaving. What was this "something I have to attend to" about? "Uh, yes, of course."

"Good," he said. "I'll see you at dinner." And then he turned and walked away without another word.

Leaving me to gaze after him, unhappily wondering if there was any way I could have said it better.


	5. Enter Flynn Rider, Exit Eugene Fitzherbe

A/N: I don't actually have anything to say for this. haha. I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

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_**Chapter 4-Enter Flynn Rider, Exit Eugene Fitzherbert**_

"Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within."

James Arthur Baldwin

Before I tell anything further, I have to say that Eugene really didn't have "something to attend to" before dinner. So please don't get the wrong impression that he had some kind of "secret duty" that day because he didn't. Much later he told me he said that to mask the real reason for his hasty departure: he was so overcome with anger at the thought of seeing his "reprobate, low-down, degenerate, corrupt, rotten, depraved, despicable, pond scum, the complete scum of the earth, and then even more scummy than that" (his words, not mine) father again that he wanted to spare me. In return, I said that I didn't care what emotion he ever portrayed in front of me, as long as it was the true emotion that he was really feeling. Honesty between the two of us was something that I regarded as highly important and you will understand more of what I mean by that further along in this story.

But anyway, after he left, I must have sat in the garden, staring after him with my mouth open for at least ten minutes, shocked by what had happened. I knew that he wasn't that fond of his father, but he must have done something even worse that what I had thought to provoke that kind of reaction. Secretly, I must confess that my curiosity was piqued, but I didn't know if I wanted to ask Eugene about it. At least not today, anyway. I continued to sit in the garden for quite a while, mulling over the last bits of our conversation.

Eventually, though, I could tell by the sinking sun in the horizon that I had better hurry up and get ready for dinner or I would be late. And even though my parents were especially kind people, promptness was important. So I hurried back to my room in the castle, knowing that my maid (it feels quite odd to say that…my maid. But I did have one-her name was Catherine and she helped me dress, did my hair, pressed my clothes, clean my room, basically everything that I "needed" as princess) would be waiting for me.

Between you, me, and the wall, my room was probably my favorite place in the entire castle. Hmmm, I guess that's not actually too surprising to you. But my room was about the only place that I really had to myself, and it was also the only place that I could paint as much as I wanted. Indeed, I had covered the wall with paintings, most of which were of Eugene's and my journey. For instance, on one wall there were pictures of our meeting in the tower, my first moments of freedom. On another were pictures of The Snuggly Duckling, the tunnel, the campfire, the festival, the floating lights…etcetera, etcetera. One day I showed them to both my parents and Eugene, and my mother and father oo'd and aw'd over them, which made me happy. But I have to say that Eugene's reaction meant more to me. He took in each painting, his facial expression changing at every single one as he remembered. I admit I was slightly nervous. Would he like them? Finally, he turned to me and I asked him if he liked it. He beamed and said that of course he did. I was the only one in the whole kingdom who could ever get his nose right. I have to say we both had a long laugh about that.

Anyway I fear that I'm getting off track here. So, I went back to my room (you might find the fact that Eugene's room was_ very_ far away from it amusing), and saw that Catherine had already picked out a dress for me-a beautiful long purple dress, my favorite color.

"Hello, Princess. How was Eugene today?" she said with a big smile.

I smiled. I have to say that I liked Catherine. A lot. At twenty, she was only two years older than me and had such a cheerful disposition. And she didn't treat me like some kind of majestic princess like Lady Gray, but rather like I was a girl like her. Because of this, I found myself confiding in her often, and she (one of the few) didn't tell others my secrets. She, besides Eugene, was probably the only friend I had here. And she was again one of the few, along with Philip, who didn't act like Eugene shouldn't be with me. Catherine liked him a lot, and told me almost wistfully how handsome he was and how lucky I was to have somebody like him as my beau. I could tell that she would like a beau too, and secretly I entertained the idea of her and Philip together. He was incredibly nice, and probably only a few years older than her.

"He was…good," I said as she began to help me into my dinner gown.

Her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Just good, Princess? Generally, you come back beaming after you've seen him. If you don't mind my asking, did something go wrong between you two?"

I sighed. Catherine never missed a beat, did she? "We didn't have a fight," I said slowly, wondering how much I could tell her. Obviously, I wasn't going to tell her about Lord Seymour being Eugene's father. Clearly, that was supposed to stay secret. "But I told him something about the ball that he didn't like. And then he rushed off."

Her forehead wrinkled in concentration, and I didn't know whether it was from buttoning the back of my dress or from what I had told her. I waited for her to say something, but she didn't until she finished buttoning my dress.

"Well," she said finally. "You didn't tell him that somebody else was going to be your escort, did you?"

I'm sure that many in the castle wished for that very thing, but I'd insisted that nobody would suit but Eugene. And my parents had given in after much begging and pleading. "No," I answered. "Of course not."

Her lips turned up in a smile. "Then I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. Whatever is bothering him will go away soon enough, because that's just the sort of person he is."

In any other case I would wholeheartedly agree with Catherine because he _wasn't_ the type to mope about anything. But I feared that his father would be the one exception. I doubted his anger would leave any time soon. "Right," I said with a fake smile.

Her eyes told me that she saw right through it, and I could tell that she wanted to ask me what was really going on. But all she said was "Have a wonderful dinner, Princess."

I thanked her, and then walked to the dinning hall, hoping that the meal wouldn't be awful.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Amazingly enough, it actually wasn't. My parents were in happy moods, and the food was excellent. Besides that, it was only the four of us which automatically made things more enjoyable. Nothing was worse than having to dine with a room full of Lady Grays staring at us. And Eugene? Well, he was happy enough too, cracking joke after joke. Flynn Rider was definitely present at that dinner. To be perfectly honest, I confess to wondering if he was either completely bipolar or an exceptional good actor because he behaved like the scene in the garden never even happened. By the end of the meal, I decided that he was an exceptional good actor over bipolar. Bipolar didn't really fit him at all, and of course acting did. I had known him long enough to understand that whenever he felt unhappy or insecure about something he would do his "I'm so tough" Flynn act. And he was clearly doing it tonight.

After we finished, on our way back to our rooms (which were in complete opposite directions, but we generally walked together until the hallway where I would go one way and he would go another), I asked him about it.

"So, nice having Flynn here tonight, don't you think?" I commented with a meaningful look.

His eyebrows lifted, but whether it was in confusion I really couldn't say. "What?"

"I said, it was so nice of you to bring Flynn along for dinner tonight," I said. "I mean, just in case we ever missed him, pop! He's back."

He peered closely at me. "I thought you liked my clever wit."

Of course I liked how witty he was! It certainly livened up my afternoons, especially after the monotony of Lady Gray's lessons. "I do!"

He beamed, pleased as ever to have another compliment. "Well, then-"

I interrupted him. His wit wasn't the point I was trying to make. "That's not what I'm talking about. You're acting funny."

"Funny as in funny haha, oh, Eugene you're the wittiest person I've ever met? Or funny as in extraordinary, oh Eugene, I never knew you could be so unpredictable?" He asked with a smirk. Clearly he thought that those were the only two possibilities-both of which he would end up as a winner.

"Neither," I answered. "I mean funny as in strange. As in okay, _Flynn_, what have you done with Eugene and when can I have him back?"

"What are you talking about?" he said, miffed. "I'm right here, and last time I checked, I was Eugene."

Were all men so dense? Did he really not understand what I was trying to get at? I decided I might as well just say it. "Look," I said pointedly. "You've been acting…odd since I told you about your father. You put on your Flynn hat tonight, and I'd like to know why. Is there something else about your father that you'd like to tell me?"

He looked bewildered for a moment, but then he smirked. Again. Somehow what I said was very comical to him. "My _Flynn_ hat?" he said, amused. "I didn't know I had one. Is it a nice looking hat? Boy, I'm sorry that I lost it. Hats are so….useful for men in my particular situation. Maybe if I had that hat, the biddies would stop staring at me like a street rat. Because obviously it is a special and valuable one." He winked at me.

Generally I would have laughed because what he said was fairly funny and witty. But he had completely ignored everything else I had said. "Eugene!" I exclaimed. "Are you listening to me? I _said,_ you've been acting weird since the garden. Something's bothering you and I have a pretty good idea that it's about your father. Won't you please tell me?"

His eyes lost their self-satisfied gleam and grew guarded instead. "Rapunzel," he said almost sternly as he turned toward me. I braced myself-I loved it when he called me by my name, but sometimes he used it when he was at his most serious and had something important to tell me. And usually I didn't like it. "You know I would do anything for you. I went to the orphanage for you. I live at this castle for you. I look after your frog for you. I took a dagger for you. But one thing I _won't_ do for you is talk about my father."

I took a step away from him, taken aback by his vehemence. I was speechless for a moment, though my head was spinning with thoughts. Like _his father must have done something even worse than what I thought he did. He must be rather scummy indeed. _And _if he's so scummy, why is he a _lord_? _But my most conscious thought was _I don't think I'm going to ask him about his father again any time soon. _"Uh, okay," I managed to say finally, almost relieved that we were at the hallway where we split ways. "Have an…uh good night."

His eyes softened a little, but he still looked vexed. "You too."

"Thank you," I said. I forced a smile, and slowly began to walk to my side of the hall, wishing that I had never brought up his father in the first place. And I hated feeling like that this -well, it wasn't a disagreement but it felt pretty close to it- had left things unresolved between us. I didn't think he was actually mad at _me,_ but somehow it sure felt that way.

"Rapunzel." It was Eugene, right behind me. I cautiously turned around, hoping that he wouldn't look so angry. He didn't, and his eyes held something akin to remorse. He took my hands, and softly kissed my forehead. "Sleep well." Then he turned and walked away.

I sighed, and then continued to walk to my room. Once I was there, I lay on my bed, wishing that I had never even heard of Lord Herbert.


	6. The Day of the Ball

_**Chapter 5-The Day of the Ball**_

"She could not be made rude and malicious by the rudeness and malice of those around her. 'A princess must be polite,' she said to herself."

-A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett

Well, I have to say that the days between that night and the night of the ball passed in somewhat of a blur of memorizing names and faces, practicing my dancing, and numerous fittings of my dress. And I have to also say that I didn't see much of Eugene at all, just at dinners. We didn't really have much of a chance to talk either, just the few minutes at night on our way to our rooms. We didn't talk about anything serious at all (like Lord Herbert) and sometimes I felt like some things were left unsaid between us. As a result, I don't know how he felt leading up to the ball and the potential of seeing his father again.

I knew how _I_ felt though: nervous. Scared. Anxious. I can remember waking up some nights in a cold sweat after dreaming that I did something awful that would disappoint my parents or bring Corona down in ruins. With each day the night of the ball drew nearer and nearer, and I grew increasingly apprehensive in proportion to it. Furthermore, I was concerned about not only the ball, but also Eugene. We hadn't talked about his father since that awful night, and I didn't dare bring it up again. The days seemed alternatively slow and fast at the same time, and part of me wished that the ball would just come so I could get it over with. And those days seemed particularly slow, while the days when I dreaded it went fast. I admit that I was somewhat of a nervous wreck during those ten days, and I felt bad that I was acting like…not a brat exactly, but definitely somewhat of a grump. I had a feeling that everyone around me wished that the ball was over so sunny Rapunzel would be back.

Eventually, the day of the ball dawned and I have to confess that part of me wished that it would be an overcast day, full of stormy clouds. That would perfectly match _my _mood. And of course (naturally!) it didn't. It was a perfect September day-bright and sunny and _warm_. Catherine entered my room that morning with a smile that matched the sun in brightness.

"Good morning, Princess!" she beamed at me. "How did you sleep?"

I forced a smile. No need to alienate one of my only friends here. "Okay," I said slowly. Actually, the night had been awful and I had barely slept at all. But Catherine was so chipper that I didn't really want to bring her down. "You're certainly happy this morning. Did something nice happen?"

Her smile grew wider if that was even possible. "Actually," she said. "Yes. I was walking by the stables earlier today and I saw Philip."

Philip? Did Philip like Catherine? I didn't even know they knew each other that well. "Really?" I asked.

"Yes!" she said joyfully. "And he gave me yellow helianthus flowers because, and I quote, they matched the sunshine in my hair."

"Oh, Catherine," I said with a smile (genuine this time-because hadn't I been hoping for this?). "I'm so happy for you!"

She bustled around the room cheerfully. "Thank you!"

I watched silently as Catherine picked a dress for me to wear. Ironically enough, I almost felt…slightly envious of her. When was the last time I had been that blissful over something that Eugene had said or done? It had been quite a while, not since we had that awful discussion about his father at least. Would we ever reclaim that happy, giddy love feeling again? I felt the smile slip off my face.

A shadow fell over Catherine's face. "What's the matter?"

Inadvertently, a tear slipped down my cheek. "You and Philip are so happy!" I almost wailed. "I wish me and Eugene still had that same giddy feeling between us. Everything's been so…weird since that afternoon in the garden. And I hate it."

She rushed over and wrapped her arms around me. "Shh," she said comfortingly. "I know things aren't… ideal between you two right now. But, Princess, don't you know that sometimes love is like that? There will be days when you have that blissful feeling and you can't stop smiling because you never thought you'd be so happy. And then there will be days when you both will be so angry that you can't stand the sight of each other. But the love in your hearts, the commitment you've made to each other, well, that _won't_ change and it will carry you through the hard times."

I wiped my hand across my teary eyes. Catherine's words made me feel a lot better: things between us _didn't _always have to be sunshine and it _wouldn't_ mean that we cared about each other any less. I _wasn't _a failure at relationships. Who knew Catherine was so wise? "You think?" I asked finally.

She stroked my hair like a mother would. "I _know_. Cheer up! Things will get better. Just be patient."

"Thank you, Catherine. What you said…really helped" I told her gratefully.

She smiled. "Anytime. And you never know, maybe things will improve even tonight. I mean, how could they not when he sees you in your fantastic dress! Why, he won't be able to take his eyes off you!"

A smile crept on my face. Catherine always knew the exact right thing to cheer me up. "Yes," I said. "Maybe they will."

XXXXXXXXXXX

The rest of the morning passed pleasantly, but that ended right after lunch when my mother informed me that I should lie down for a wee bit and after that she would send in maids to help me get ready. Now I'm sure that doesn't sound too bad to you, but trust me. It was. Oh, not the "nap"(I use quotation marks because there had been no "napping" going on. Worry? Yes! Sleep? No), that was fine. It was everything that came after that was awful. I had my first inkling of that when none other than Lady Gray barged into my room after "my nap" and sternly told me that since my mother was occupied with last minute details, it was her duty to make sure that I prepared properly for the ball. My heart sank when I saw her because I knew that she wouldn't make this fun for me at all.

And it turned out that I was right. For reasons still unknown to me, she barely let Catherine (my own maid!) do anything and had the maids my mother "sent" do everything (Somehow I got the feeling that Lady Gray had done something because my mother knew the maids I liked and the maids that I didn't). To be honest, those maids were probably the last ones that I would have wanted. I knew for a fact that they were some of the ones who had been spreading gossip around about me and Eugene and talking behind our backs. Their names were Neasa and Ciara, but Snoop and Snoopier would have suited just as well. Or maybe Rude and Ruder because they were very _very _impolite to me. Especially about my hair. Generally, noble women wear their hair up when they went to formal occasions like balls and I knew that my mother would have hers up as well. But of course this was impossible for me. Since Eugene had cut it, it hadn't grown an inch and to be perfectly honest I didn't really think that it would. Gothel had cut part of it when I was only a wee baby and that had never grown out. So I didn't really expect that the rest of it would either. And part of me was glad because it was nice to have hair that didn't take hours and hours and _hours_ of brushing. I usually only had to spend about five minutes on it because it was so short. It didn't even reach my shoulders!

Consequently, there wasn't really any hair for Neasa and Ciara to put up. And they didn't let me forget it either.

"Princess Rapunzel," they would begin. Yes, like Lady Gray, they didn't seem to understand that they didn't really need to call me that. "Couldn't That….(I'm sure they would have said Thief, but I glared at them) _Man _have cut your hair so it would be longer? There's really nothing for us to do with it, and that short of hair is really most improper." Somehow the story of how my hair had been cut made its way through the palace "grapevine", though most of the time it wasn't even close to being correct. But the one thing they _did_ get right consistently was the fact that Eugene had been the one to cut it. So Neasa and Ciara's question was legitimate, albeit very rude.

Even though things weren't perfect between Eugene and I, there was no chance that I would let them get away with saying something like that. "That _Man_," I informed them. "As you so callously call him, happened to give his life to save me. And I'd thank you not to call him by anything other than his name. Do you understand me?"

They exchanged glances. "Yes, Princess."

I didn't believe them for a minute. I knew that when I was out of earshot they would call him That Thief (like most of the other people in the palace) again, but what could I do? I couldn't monitor their every act. "Besides that," I continued. "When he _was_ cutting my hair he happened to bleeding to death. So I think under that circumstance the length of my hair is sort of irrelevant. Because I don't know about you, but I don't think I could manage a 'proper' hair cut in that condition. Do you?"

Ironically enough, they seem nonplussed by my speech and exchanged glances again. Indeed, what _could _they say to that? Oh, yes, Princess Rapunzel, I could manage to an appropriate hair cut when I had been stabbed with a dagger? I don't think so. If they did, they would be lying through their teeth. "No, I suppose not," Ciara said finally.

"Good," I said, as if that settled the matter. Of course, I knew that it hadn't, but at least they stopped making snide remarks about my hair and Eugene. The rest of the "preparation" passed silently, and I must admit that I was grateful. I didn't know how many times I could deal with their rudeness. And they _did_ do something nice with my hair.

Eventually, it was time for me to put on my dress, and I grew excited. Because I absolutely loved it. The dress was made out of emerald silk (that perfectly matched my eyes), and flowed gracefully down to the floor. When I wore it, I actually felt like a princess. It was comfortable too, amazingly enough. The last thing that we needed to do was put on my tiara. Or I guess_ I_ needed to do, because I was fully capable of doing that myself.

I didn't do it immediately. I sort of stared at it for a minute. _This is what started the whole thing in the first place._ The tiara was the reason Eugene had ended up in my tower on that fateful day three months ago. I have to confess that I continued to stare at it, lost in memories. The deal, Hesty, The Snuggly Duckling, the tunnel, the almost drowning…..

"Princess?" It was Catherine speaking, of course (nobody else in that entire room called me simply princess). "Are you all right?"

I blinked, almost surprised to be back in the palace. "Uh, yes." I blinked again. "Yes, of course. I was just…thinking."

Catherine looked relieved. "Oh good," she said. "Because you might want to put on the tiara soon. The Queen will be here any minute."

I blinked for the third time."Right." I carefully placed the tiara on my head. "I'm ready."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Did you hear me just say that I was ready? Ha! That's really funny. I think I might split my side laughing. Because I so wasn't. I can't remember a more stressful ball than my very first one. And I didn't feel prepared for it at all, even after all of Lady Gray's endless tutoring. I was a complete nervous wreck for the first part which was greeting all the guests, though I did manage to recall all their names and address them with composure. There were only two that sort of threw me.

One was Prince Lorcan of Screlandria, or as he could also be called, 'The Cousin I Didn't Know That I Had.' Indeed, that is how he addressed me.

"Hello again, dear cousin," he said as he kissed my hand.

I shot him a surprised look. Which wasn't the proper protocol at all. I was supposed to say something like thanks for coming or something else to that effect. "Cousin?" (Before I go any further, I have to tell you that even thought Lorcan was 26 -eight years older than me, which seemed like a lot then- he was really very handsome. Now don't look at me like that. There will never be anyone for me but Eugene. But I wouldn't be a girl if I didn't notice his nice black hair or his fiery blue eyes.) "Mother never told me that I had one."

His blue eyes turned to steel. "Indeed. We will have to remedy that in the future, won't we?"

I didn't know what to say (though I did have a few things I could say to my mother or Lady Gray for not telling me). "I suppose so."

The other was Lord Herbert, which I suppose isn't surprising. But from Eugene's descriptions of him I expected him to look…well, sort of sketchy? Cross? And he wasn't at all. He was actually very polite.

He bent over to kiss my hand, like everyone else had. I almost expected it by that time. But what I didn't expect was (when he straightened up) to stare straight into Eugene's eyes. Okay, obviously I wasn't looking at Eugene. Lord Hebert had black hair with gray streaks in it, and he was at least fifty-five. Eugene had brown hair and clearly wasn't fifty-five. But his eyes were the same exact hazel color as Eugene's and in my mind I could hear him say, "My mother always told me that I had his eyes." _That's a slight understatement, Eugene,_ I thought.

"Princess Rapunzel," Lord Hebert said with a smile. "It is indeed a pleasure to meet you."

I smiled back numbly. "Thank you. Same." Hey, I _was _pleased to meet him. How could I not? He was Eugene's father!

We exchanged further pleasantries, but I have to admit that I could not tell you what those pleasantries were. Because all I could think was- _Eugene. We need to have a talk._ And soon enough I would get my chance.


	7. Little Lea and Love

_**Chapter 6- Little Lea and Love**_

"Lovers alone wear sunlight."

-E.E. Cummings

"_And soon enough I would get my chance," her mother said and then fell silent. Leana's mouth opened to ask her mother why she had stopped, but she soon realized that darkness had fallen and her mother had stopped because it was likely time for them to think about going to bed. _

_Flynn was the first to break the silence. As usual. "You can't stop it there!" he cried. _

_Mother smiled. "I can't? Why can't I? If I I've judged correctly, I do believe it's time for you to start thinking about sleeping. We can pick up the story tomorrow."_

_Leana groaned. She didn't want to go to bed at all. But she didn't want to argue with her mother either. Besides that, if she didn't complain about it and went obediently to bed her brothers probably would as well. "Right, Mother," she said, as she shot Flynn a "cut it out" look. _

_He ignored it. "But what about the story?" he complained. "I want to know what happens. Now!"_

"_I have a story for _you_," her father said. "It's about a boy who argued with his mother about going to bed after she kindly told him part of a story and then got punished by his father. And then he never was able to hear the rest of it." He glanced meaningfully at Flynn. "You wouldn't want to end up like that boy, would you?"_

_Leana beamed. That would shut Flynn up, no question. Boy, her father was_ good_. He could always make Flynn behave. For a brief minute, she considered it. Why_ could_ Father make Flynn mind so well anyway? Nobody else in the entire castle could, even her mother. Well, her mother could sometimes. But most of the time, when he was particularly naughty, she sent Leana or Arthur to get Father (or at least threatened to). Was it because he could be so scary when he was angry? That was part of it, Leana was sure. But maybe it's because he had been just like Flynn when he was younger, and knew the right thing that would have shut himself up. That was it, Leana decided. _

_Flynn stared down at the floor. "No, sir." _

_Leana forced down a laugh. Sir! He had called Father _sir_! Oh, that was definitely the funniest thing she had heard in quite a while. Nobody in the castle typically called her father sir, even though he was the crown prince of all Corona. The crown prince! _Her_ father! Oh, that was funny too. He could barely stay serious about anything for more than ten minutes at a time. She glanced at her brothers. Edward's eyes were shining, and Arthur was hiding a grin. She looked over at her mother. She seemed like she was hiding a laugh too. _

_Leana studied her mother for a moment. Her mother was Crown Princess, of course, since her father was Crown Prince. Or maybe it should be the other way-Her father was Crown Prince, since her mother was Crown Princess. Yes, _that_ was correct. He had become a prince because he married her mother. But her father never seemed like royalty to her. And somehow her mother did. She actually looked like a princess to Leana. Well, besides the hair. Most princesses had at least shoulder length hair. Leana did herself! It was seen as proper. So she could well understand Ciara's and Neasa's remarks even if they had been incredibly rude. Mother, in the story, had said that when her hair was cut at age 18 she never expected that it would grow out. And it hadn't, even after 17 years when her father had first cut it. It still didn't reach her shoulders, but Leana decided that she liked it anyway. Her mother looked…almost perpetually young that way. Beautiful, too. But back to her mother seeming like a princess-she really did and it was at least partly the way she carried herself. Leana often wished she could have even the smallest tad of her mother's confidence. _

"_Leana?" _

_She blinked, surprised to see her parents staring at her. And her brothers nowhere in sight. "Uh yes?" she said. _

"_Are you all right?" Mother asked._

_She blinked again. "Oh, sorry. Yes," she said. "I'm all right. Just lost in thought, I guess."_

_Her father smiled broadly at her mother. "Now when do I remember somebody else saying those exact same words to me?" _

_Her mother smiled back. "Hmmm. I wonder."_

"_And not being entirely truthful about it either," he said. _

_Leana opened her eyes wider. "Are you saying that I'm not all right?" she asked, confused. What were her parents talking about?_

_Father looked at her meaningfully. "Are you?"_

_Leana blinked for the third time, and glanced hopelessly at her mother. What was going on?_

_Mother picked up on her confusion. "Eugene," she said. "I think Leana's been through enough for one day. Why don't you just tell her what you were talking about?"_

_He laughed. "Oh, sorry. I was just referring to that campfire many years ago when your mother said that exact same thing to me. Except that she didn't mean the words at all, because she wasn't all right. That-"_

_Mother interrupted him. "Eugene," she warned._

"_-_woman, _Gothel had tried to convince her that I would take off and leave her. And of course she didn't want me to." He glanced at Mother. "What did you think I was going to say?"_

"_Not woman that's for sure," she said. "Besides that, I did mean some of what I said. I _was_ lost in thought."_

_He looked at her meaningfully. "Oh really? And what were you thinking?"_

_Her mother smiled. "Well," she said. "You'll actually really like it. I was thinking that I hoped that you weren't faking an attachment to me just to secure the tiara. And even if you had been faking, I wasn't and my heart was deeply drawn to yours." She glanced at him. "Like it still is," she added softly. _

_Her father beamed and Leana had a feeling she knew what he was going to do next. "I'll just...uh…be going to bed now," she said and walked to her room. No, she wasn't one of those children who squirmed when her parents kissed. Actually, generally she found it to be rather comforting. But sometimes her parents were in their own little world and it was better to just let them be there, sending love letters with their eyes. Sometimes she wondered if she would find somebody she loved as much as she knew her mother loved her father. She also wondered what it felt like to be in love. It was likely a very good feeling, though from Mother's story she could tell that there were both ups and downs to it. _

_As she put on her nightgown and curled up in her bed, she decided that one of these days she would ask her mother about love. And with that thought, she fell asleep. _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_The next day passed much too slowly for Leana, mostly due to the fact that she eagerly wanted to hear the rest of her mother's story. She guessed that it was her father's story too, but he hadn't told very much of it yet, much to her surprise. Sometimes he interrupted her mother as often as Flynn did. And yes, sometimes it could be just as annoying, especially when her mother was in the middle of an especially exciting part. But her father had been fairly quiet during this one and she if he would tell any of it today. _

_Leana's lessons seemed to drag on and on into infinity, but eventually they finally ended and she hurried back to her family's sitting room. To her surprise, she only saw her mother, reading a book on the settee. She had expected her brothers to be there already. _

_Mother looked up and smiled. "Hello, Leana. How was your day?"_

_She smiled back as she sat next to her mother. "Long. I really wanted to hear what happened next in your story."_

_Mother looked at her meaningfully. "It's not just _my _story-it's your father's too."_

"_Oh, I know," she said. "But he hasn't told very much of it yet, so I guess I just thought of it as yours."_

_Mother put down her book. "Ah. Well, I'm sure he'll want to change that. You know how much he likes to talk."_

"_Oh, I know," she repeated with a knowing smirk. Her father enjoying talking was like an established order of the universe. Did her father like to talk? The answer was as quick as when you asked somebody is the sky blue or is the Pope Catholic. _

_Her mother laughed uproariously. "You know, you look just like him when you smirk at me like that."_

"_Is that a good thing?" she asked cautiously. There were times when her father's smirks irritated her. She hoped she wasn't like that to her mother.  
_

"_Of course!" Mother answered. "You know how much I love your father, don't you?"_

"_Yes," she said. That was an understatement! Of course she knew that her mother loved her father! She bet they had kissed _a lot _last night after she went to bed. "I never doubt it. And I don't doubt that he loves you either."_

"_Good," Mother said._

_A silence descended, but it was a companionable one. Mother went back to reading her book, and Leana sat next to her, thinking about love. Would now be a good time to ask? Well, better now then when her brothers were in the room, especially Flynn. _

"_Mother," she began. "Can I ask you something?"_

_Her mother set down the book immediately. "Of course. What's on your mind, sweet?"_

"_Uh, well," she said hesitantly. "I wanted to know…about love."_

_Mother's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Love? What about it?"_

"_Well," she said. "I wanted to know...maybe how you knew or what you felt like when you first knew you loved Father."_

_Mother looked at her knowingly. "Ah," she said. "I knew I loved your father on the boat when we were watching the floating lights."_

_Leana sighed. She already was aware that was when her mother- and father too - knew. "Yes. But_ how_ did you know?"_

_Mother's eyes took on a distant look, as if she was lost in memories. Leana had a feeling her mother was back on that boat, seventeen years ago. She decided to wait before saying anything else. Surely her mother would have a good answer for her if she was patient. She fiddled with her thumbs as she waited for what seemed like a very long time. _

_Finally her mother spoke. "You know that Eugene- your father- told me that the good thing about realizing my dream was that I could go find a new one?"_

_Leana nodded. "Yes."_

"_Well," Mother said. "As I watched those beautiful lights, I discovered that I already had one: him. I didn't want us to ever part, even though I knew that had been the deal. So I dreamed a future about the two of us-together. Forever."_

_Leana smiled because her mother was so romantic. "Yes. But how did you know that? How did you know that you wanted to spend the rest of your lives together?"_

_Mother's eyes sparkled. "Because I couldn't imagine spending those years with anyone else."_

Aw, that was so sweet_, Leana thought to herself. _"_And Father?" she asked. "How did he know?"_

_Mother smiled. "Well, why don't you ask him sometime?"_

_And of course, her father entered the room at that very instant. How he managed to always pop up at the most opportune moments was a mystery to Leana. "Ask me what?" he said. _

"_Leana was just asking me how you knew that you loved me," Mother told him. _

_He crossed the room and sat on a chair next to the settee. "Ah. Well, I knew I loved your mother best out of anyone else in the entire world because I can't think of anyone else who would have knocked my island dream out of first place."_

_Leana frowned. What kind of answer was that? A Flynn Rider one, that's for sure._

_Her mother giggled. "Eugene. I'm not sure that's quite the answer she was looking for."_

_His eyebrows rose in surprise. It was rare, Leana knew, for people not to appreciate his wit. "No, really?"_

"_Yes," Mother said. "How about you give her a serious answer this time?"_

"_Serious?" he repeated incredulously. "Me, be _serious_?" Then he laughed. "I'll try. For you, anyway."_

"_Thanks," Mother said dryly._

_He laughed again. "Of course." Then he glanced at Leana. "Well, Little Lea-"_

_Leana's lips turned up in a smile. Little Lea was his pet name for her, and even though she was thirteen, she still liked it when he called her that. _

"_I knew that I loved your mother because for one, she was the only female I had ever met who didn't swoon at the sight of my smolder," he said with a smirk. "I had to get to know this girl, and find out what made her tick."_

_He loved her mother because she wasn't easy? "Uh," she interrupted. "You know that's not quite what I was trying to find out."_

_Father looked petulantly at her. "I wasn't done, Little Lea. That's only one of the many. And I'm listing them in order of significance."_

_Leana sighed because she wasn't going to argue with him. You didn't want to argue with him-he would always win. "All right."_

_He cleared his throat. "Like I was saying, I loved your mother because she was different from all the other girls I had ever met. Two, she was beautiful, clever, sweet, artistic. Three, she was also the only person in years who cared about poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert. That was huge. Four, she actually listened to me. But one of the things that impressed me most about her was that she actually could outwit me."_

_Her mother smirked and Leana felt an urge to laugh. Mother hardly ever smirked. "I still can."_

"_Not as often as I can outwit you," he said. "Anyway, I knew I loved your mother because she became my dream, instead of living on an island. Besides that, I found that I didn't care about money or the tiara as long as I could be with her. Because she would always be worth a million tiaras."_

_After he finished speaking, Leana felt surprised. Who knew that she would be able to get such a sober, not to mention romantic, answer out of him? Leana glanced at her mother. She was beaming at her father. She glanced at her father. He was beaming at her mother. She decided that for once she was going to break up their little party. "Right," she said. "But _how _did you know?"_

_He looked bewildered. "_How _did I know? It was just one of those things, Little Lea. All I can tell you is that when you know, you know."_

_She sighed. She hated that answer because it was such a complete, well, non-answer. It seemed lame and a cop out. "Right," she said skeptically. _

_Mother looked at her. "It's a fair answer, Leana. Sometimes that's just the way it happens."_

_Leana still felt unconvinced, but she wasn't going to keep hounding them about it. "I guess so."_

_At that moment, Flynn, Edward, and Arthur bounded into the room. Flynn's eyes took in the sight of the three of them sitting together. _

_He smirked, and Leana felt that she was looking at her father. "Well, the gang's all here," he said. "So how about the rest of the story?"_

_Father stroked his chin, as if in deep thought. _"_Oh, that's right. You wanted to hear the rest of the story. Well, as long as it's okay with your mother, I think it's my turn to tell part of it."_

_Her mother nodded. "Actually, that would probably be a good idea, considering what happened after the ball."_

_Leana settled into her chair, and so did Edward, Flynn, and Arthur. A tremor of excitement crept down her spine because she couldn't wait to hear the rest of it. _

"_Well," her father began. "The night of the ball…"_


	8. The Many Pleasures of Balls

_**A/N: **_You know something? The more I write Eugene, the easier it is and the more I enjoy it it. Really, he is such a fun character. And I had a lot of fun writing this.

* * *

_**Chapter 7 The Many Pleasures of Balls (Or the profound lack thereof)**_

" People are particularly stupid today. I can't talk to any more of them."

-Michel Gerard, _Gilmore Girls_

**Well, the night of the ball I must confess I was in quite a funk. And no, it wasn't for the same reason as Rapunzel. Are you kidding? Me, nervous about meeting tons of people? You have to be joking. There was only one person in the entire world that I never wanted to see again (well, except for Gothel that is, but she's dead. So I don't have to count her) and that would be my scumbag of a father, who apparently was supposed to be here tonight. Hence the reason for my funk. I hadn't seen him yet, which was probably a good thing considering the strong impulse I had to pound something into his face. Namely, my fist. I have to say I was glad that I asked Rapunzel to keep him far, far away from me. I didn't need to be a genius to know that me punching the lights out of a lord would not help my reputation improve. In fact, it would most likely make it much, **_**much**_** worse. Beyond that, it would also reflect badly on Rapunzel, and it would make her upset because she took her role as princess **_**very **_**seriously. And if she messed up tonight, she would be sad which would make **_**me **_**sad. Or mad. It all depends on **_**why**_** she was sad, really. When Rapunzel was sad about Gothel, it always made me mad, not sad.**

**Okay, there have been way too many sads and mads in those last three sentences. I think it's time to move forward in this story. So, anyway, there I stood in the ballroom, waiting for Rapunzel (hmm, I'm really sensing a theme in this story; how about you?) because for some reason she had to greet all the guests without me. Why, you ask? Well, don't ask me. I mean, I think they would **_**want**_** me to help greet the guests, considering how charming I can be. But they didn't ask me, and it probably had something to do with the fact that nobody (except for around two people) liked that Rapunzel and I were together. I don't even think that her parents were too happy about it, though they were cordial enough. But both Rapunzel and I could tell that they weren't entirely pleased with our romance. She said sometimes that it didn't bother her because she cared about me so much, but I knew that it did. Oh, not the caring about me part. Of course not. I mean the her parents being upset part. She was the kind of girl who really wanted to please her parents (which is why she probably had stayed up in that tower for so long. If it were me, I would have left after two seconds if I had been stuck with Gothel) and so she wished that they were happy with our relationship. But I knew that wouldn't happen unless I did something….well, really amazing to show that I was worthy of her. I didn't mind doing something amazing, but I still hadn't figured out what exactly that something amazing would be. So for the moment, I was stuck waiting for Rapunzel, attempting to ignore all the displeased looks coming my way from the nobles. I really tried to resist the urge to send dirty looks back at them, but I have to say that I most likely…sent at least a few back. Especially to Lady Gray. **

**I was so concentrated on perfecting my dirty look that I didn't notice the tap on my shoulder. **

"**So you're the one," a deep voice behind me said. **

**Surprised I turned around, only to see a tall and dark man with the most piercing blue eyes. "The one what?" I asked.**

"**The one who's tragically in love with Princess Rapunzel," he answered, crossing his arms. **

**Me? In love with Rapunzel? **_**Tragically**_**? I'm not the most learned man around, but I knew tragic typically meant, at least in cases of love, that the heroine or hero didn't return the feeling or the love was thwarted somehow. Neither seemed applicable at all because my feelings were most definitely returned even though Rapunzel had been acting sort of odd around me lately (which was another thing I had to figure out). And thwarted love? Ha! Gothel and her minions had already tried that and it didn't split us up. I didn't think anything could, especially some dark stranger who was kind of pompous. "Oh, really?" I said. "And how do you know that?" Suddenly, I realized that I had no idea who I was talking to. "I'm sorry, did you give me your name?"**

**He smiled. Generally, when people smile, it makes you smile back right? Smiles are usually something that shows possible friendship. Well, not all smiles are like that, let me tell you, especially this man's smile. It was daunting enough to send chills down my spine and nothing scares me. Nothing. "Lorcan," he said. "Prince Lorcan of Screlandria."**

**I know Rapunzel has told you some of her princess rules, and now it's my turn to share some of mine-my top ten Flynn Rider rules that had always kept in me very good stead. Rule #1: Never show that you are scared. And I wasn't about to let Prince Lorcan think that he had intimidated me. "Right. So, **_**Prince **_**Lorcan, what makes you think that Rapunzel and I aren't going to end up together some day?" I said in my best Flynn Rider bravado voice. "I mean, do you have some kind of psychic powers? Because without that, I'm sorry, but I don't think I can take what you say seriously." Rule #2: Always act like you know it all, even when you don't.**

**He smiled wider. Another chill trickled down my spine. "I know more than you think I do," he said. "And if I were you, I would reconsider." Then he turned and walked away, as silently as he had come.**

**I stared after him**_**. Reconsider what?**_** "Right," I repeated. "Nice chatting with you." **_**Not.**_** That was strange. No, actually, it was beyond strange. **_**Sinister **_**was a better description of Prince Lorcan. I couldn't help but wonder what he wanted with me because it was totally obvious that he had some kind of agenda for that little encounter. However, if he was trying to break up Rapunzel and me, he had another think coming. I had almost lost her once. No chance I would ever lose her again, especially to Prince I-Like-To-Threaten-Random-Strangers. Well, this ball was definitely already more interesting than I thought it would be. Now if only my father would walk up behind me and say hello then we'd **_**really**_** have a party. **

"**So you're the one."**

**Oh, great. Did I have to be tortured by psychopaths tonight? I turned around. Who was it this time?**

**A man in his fifties was behind me, with graying hair and brown eyes, smiling. This smile wasn't necessarily creepy, though he seemed oddly familiar to me. "The one what?" I asked tiredly. **

"**The one who brought our princess home, of course!" He suddenly grabbed my hand and shook it so hard I thought I would lose feeling there. "Thank you. You don't know how much we are all in debt to you."**

**I was stunned. Barely anyone in the whole entire castle had thanked me in any way. They were all too busy thinking that I wasn't good enough. "Uh, thanks," I stammered. **

"**No," he beamed another smile at me. "Thank**_** you. **_**I hope you enjoy the ball." **

**He started to walk away before I could say anything else. "Uh you too," I called to him. I sighed. This ball was just getting stranger and stranger. **_**Rapunzel**_**, I thought. **_**Where are you?**_

"**Eugene?"**

**Rapunzel. Finally. I turned around, and then sucked in my breath so fast I coughed. Hey! I couldn't help it; she just looked so incredibly beautiful. Her eyes were normally on the large side, but her green dress matched them so perfectly that they literally popped out. **

"**Eugene?" she repeated. **

**I blinked. Was it possible for her to have become even prettier? "Uh, yes?"**

**Her eyebrows drew together in concern. "Are you…all right?"**

**I blinked again, and then smiled. "Of course. You just look so lovely tonight. In fact, I could swear that you look just like a princess."**

**She blushed. Just like I knew she would. Then she, too, smiled at me and I felt my heart turn inside out. Amazing what just a smile from her could do to me. "Well, thank you." She giggled adorably, and then grabbed my hand and dragged me to the center of the ballroom. **

**I forced a laugh. "Uh, Rapunzel," I said. "What are you doing?"**

**She gave me an annoyed look. "What do you think? It's time for our dance."**

**I beamed. I loved dancing with her, the feel of her in my arms. "So it is."**

**Her eyes twinkled happily, and I felt my own spirits left. Why would I care about some random dark prince when I could be with her? But then a cloud crossed over her face, and my heart sank a little. **_**What's wrong, Rapunzel?**_** "Right. But after that we're going to have a little chat," she told me sternly.**

"**Uh, okay," I said. Somehow I doubted it would be a fun one. Rapunzel is so sweet 98% of the time that it is easy to forget how very formidable she can be when she is angry about something. No, of course I didn't think that she was upset with me. Why would she be? I mean, I'm such an amiable and charming person. Clearly, she was upset about something that wasn't me and I tried to put it out my mind for the duration of our dance. **

**Guess what? Waltzing is actually something that can be very fun, especially when you have a partner as beautiful and graceful as Rapunzel is. Who knew, right? Dancing, before I met her, was something I associated with nobles like my despicable father. As I'm sure you can imagine, I had no desire to do it. But all that changed when I started to sometimes join her in her dancing classes. There I discovered that waltzing was something that I **_**liked**_**: I liked having her in my arms, I liked spinning her around and around, I liked how she looked up at me, I liked her hands in mine. **

**Of course, I liked dancing with her that night, especially when she looked so pretty. The waltz ended too soon, and once we finished I had a very strong urge to cup her chin in my hands and kiss her. I didn't, though. I know, I was disappointed too. But come on. You really think I would do that with all those stuffy nobles staring at us? Be serious. They were just **_**waiting**_** for me to do something improper like that. I decided I would do it later, after we had our "little chat."**

**Which was going to happen very soon, if the way Rapunzel was looking at me now was any indication. She stood on the tips of her toes, and whispered in my ear, "Meet me on the balcony outside the ballroom. Five minutes."**

**As I'm sure you can guess, exactly five minutes later I was on the balcony outside the ballroom, waiting for her. I tapped my foot impatiently. **_**Rapunzel, where are you**_**? **

**Soon, she quietly walked up to me. "Eugene," she said seriously. "We need to talk."**

**Ha, she had to be kidding. Talk, indeed. Why would I want to talk when there was something even more enjoyable that I could do? Like kiss her? I took her hands gently. "Right, talk," I said with a wink. "Good idea."**

**Her eyes remained sober. "Eugene," she said. "I'm **_**serious**_**. I really need to talk to you about something."**

**I groaned inwardly. I didn't really want to, but I guess now would be as good a time as any. Or maybe not. "Okay, Rapunzel," I told her. "Go ahead."**

**She sighed too as she pulled her hands away, and then sat on a stone bench. "Eugene," she began. "What's going on with you?"**

**What's going on with **_**me?**_** Was she joking? I walked quickly over to her and sat down. "What are you talking about? I'm acting like I normally do."**

**Her eyes drifted away from mine, but not before I could detect a hint of sadness in them. "No," she said. "You're not."**

**My mouth automatically opened to protest. She noticed though, and continued before I could say anything. "Oh, I knew you'd probably deny it. But you've been acting…odd since I told you about your father. And now I feel like you're upset with me."**

**Upset? With **_**Rapunzel**_**? Me? I stared at her for a second, stunned. Didn't she know that I couldn't even imagine ever being mad at her? Especially over something as trivial as my father! Well, okay, so my father wasn't that trivial. But he was when it came to my relationship with Rapunzel. Her eyes met mine for a second before she looked away, and I could see that she really thought she had done something to offend me. **

**I took one of her hands in mine again, and with the other I turned her head so her eyes looked right into mine. "Rapunzel," I said gently. "Don't you know that there is basically nothing in this world that you could do to upset me? I'm not angry with you." I sighed. Leave it to my stupid father to meddle in my best relationship simply by existing! "I was…just surprised when you told me he would be here. And I didn't want to see him. Why that is I think you know from my mother's letter. But I don't even think he's here. So everything's perfectly fine."**

**Her eyes had lost some of their distress throughout my speech, much to my relief, but by the end she was surprised. "Eugene," she said carefully. "He's here, all right." She obviously didn't want to upset me further, and I appreciated it.**

"**Really?" I asked. "And how do you know that?" **

**She looked petulant. "I know because I saw him. I **_**met **_**him." She paused for a moment, then darted a glance at me. "He…he has your eyes," she said with a faint smile.**

**Ugh. Rapunzel seemed to think it was just wonderful that we had the same eyes, but I didn't want anything in common with that rat. "Really?" I repeated. "Did he do his famous sneer at you?"**

"**Actually, no," she answered, astonished, and pulled her hands away again. "Which is another reason why I wanted to talk to you. He was most polite. Not at all like the way you describe him."**

**I laughed. But not because I thought her words was funny. Oh, no. Not at all. I laughed because once again, my father had acted like a charming gentlemen for Rapunzel. And she had fallen for it, hook, line, and sinker. Good thing I was around to help her out. I could have predicted that this would happen easily. Did I know my father or what? "Rapunzel," I said. "He's skilled at acting pleasant when he's really the complete opposite. He's the best actor I think I've ever met."**

**Suddenly, much to my bewilderment, her eyes began to twinkle mischievously. "Is that so?"**

**Why was she looking so smug? Was my father a source of amusement for her or something? "**_**Yes**_**," I insisted. "He's so good, in fact, he should be on the stage."**

**She smiled and let out a chuckle. That chuckle turned quickly into boisterous laughter. In fact, she laughed so hard that I swore I saw tears come out of her eyes. Whereas, I (I have to confess) grew sort of peeved. **

"**Rapunzel," I said impatiently. "Care to let me in on the joke?"**

"**Well," she said through spurts of laughter. "I was just thinking that it takes one to know one!"**

"**Meaning?" I asked, trying my best not to show how irked I was. **

**She smirked at me, which as it turned out was the best thing she could have done if she wanted me to stop being annoyed with her. I couldn't help it; her smirk was just too cute. "Meaning," she said, fairly calmly. "That's what I thought when I first met**_** you**_**!" Then she succumbed to wild giggling again. **

**I just stared at her, completely befuddled. She noticed after a few moments, and stopped laughing. "I'm sorry, Eugene," she said with a hint of remorse, but her eyes still shined with hidden mirth. **

**Finally amused, I smiled at her. "Yeah, yeah," I said. "I **_**bet **_**you are."**

**Her eyes grew serious. "Well, Eugene. I am." I gave her a skeptical look. **_**Oh, really**_**? "Not about my joking," she added quickly. "I'm not sorry about that. That was just fun. I **_**am**_** sorry about your father though."**

**My heart warmed inside me. Could she be any sweeter? Or more compassionate? No, I don't think so. "Thank you," I said. **

**She looked kindly at me. "I mean it, Eugene. I really **_**am**_** sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset about your father. Please let me know if I can somehow make it up to you."**

**Make it up to me? She didn't need to do that. I could think of something she could do for me now, though. "You don't need to make it up to me, Rapunzel," I said. "But I do have one request."**

**She peered closely at me. "Yes? And what is that?"**

**I took her hands again and smirked at her. "Well…." Her eyes widened and I could tell that she knew what I had in mind. Then she smiled happily. Well, of course she did! What girl **_**wouldn't **_**want to be kissed by me? **

**I leaned in closer…..only to hear Lady Gray's obnoxious voice. "Princess Rapunzel!" she called. "Princess Rapunzel!" Soon she caught sight of us, and a deep frown emerged on her face. "There you are! Where have you been? Don't you know that a Proper Princess never leaves her guests?"**

**Ever the princess, Rapunzel stood up and walked over to her. But not before she sent an apologetic look at me. **_**I'm only going with Lady Gray because I'm trying to be a good princess; I'd much rather be with you**_** her eyes said. I smiled at her, encouragingly. "It's all right, Rapunzel. Duty calls. I'll meet you in there."**

**She smiled back. "Okay," she said. Then she walked back into the ballroom with Lady Gray, who sounded as if she was giving Rapunzel a thorough scolding. **

**I scowled. Did you hear me say that there was one person who I never wanted to see again, namely my father? And I'd like to pound my fist in his face? Well, add Lady Gray to the list too, if you don't mind. Her treatment of Rapunzel made me furious. **

**But you and I both know I wouldn't act on it. Why? Well, if Rapunzel tried to constantly act like a princess, then the least I could do was to at least try to behave like a gentlemen. And gentlemen, of course, never stick their fists in women's faces. **


	9. The Unexpected Task

_**Chapter 8-The Unexpected Task **_

"Full of a secret that thou dar'st not tell!"

-George MacDonald

**Well, I'm sure you want to hear that something exciting happened after that, but nothing really did. Unfortunate, right? I mean, how many times can a guy be lucky enough to have random strangers say even more random things to him? Seriously, you should try it sometime. You haven't **_**lived**_** until it's happened to you. **

**Uh, in case you didn't notice, that was me being sarcastic. **

**Anyway, like I said, nothing out of the ordinary occurred after that during the ball. Actually, nothing too interesting happened for at least two weeks after the ball either. Everything was business as usual, or in other words, **_**boring**_** like usual. Rapunzel was stuck in her princess lessons with Lady Gray once again (or as I like to call her- Madame Etiquette) because Lady Gray was "shocked and appalled by Princess Rapunzel 's bad manners. Imagine, leaving her guests in the middle of the ball! A Proper Princess **_**never**_** did something that unacceptable." So Rapunzel had to endure more princess lessons because Lady Gray had convinced the Queen that she desperately needed them. This meant that I was fortunate enough to take up my old day jobs: Rapunzel's waiter (that's a pun, in case you hadn't guessed-meaning I **_**waited**_** on or for Rapunzel. Get it? I know, my own cleverness astounds me too), Rapunzel's occasional horseback riding "teacher", Rapunzel's occasional dance partner, Rapunzel's beau (my favorite, of course), Mary's (from the orphanage) best reader, and-don't worry, I've saved the best for last- Pascal's care-giver. I know, I know. Lucky me, right? I get to spend my afternoons with a small, slimy green animal, who loves to stick his small,slimy tongue in my ear. You're secretly jealous, aren't you? Who **_**wouldn't**_** want to be stuck with a crazy frog day after day? I mean, the fun just never ends with Pascal. It's just a barrel full of laughter. **

**Not. **

**Actually, I can't think of anything more tiresome than the majority of those afternoons. Most of the time we scowled at each other, and, as much as I enjoy a good scowl, it does grow tedious after a while. Pascal and I didn't really have anything in common, and besides that, we didn't really like each other either. So those afternoons were just sunshine and light, let me tell you. **

**On one particularly bad afternoon, in which Pascal refused to take me up on my generous offer to teach him my smolder face, I remember thinking to myself that this was probably the most trying thing I had done for anybody ever. And I questioned why I had tormented myself about finding something really amazing to prove my devotion to Rapunzel when here I was doing something that I wouldn't even consider doing for anybody else in the entire world. If this wasn't a labor of love, then nothing was. Without meaning to (well, mostly anyway) I scowled at Pascal. He scowled back. You know something? He's **_**mastered**_** The Scowl. It's almost as good as mine. I don't know why he didn't want to challenge himself by learning The Smolder. **

"**Eugene?"**

**A voice startled me out of my thoughts (and no, it wasn't Rapunzel's, unfortunately). I turned around in my seat to greet whoever it was. "Yes?" **

**It was Catherine, Rapunzel's maid, and one of the only people that I liked here. She and Philip were the only ones here who a) could take a good joke and b) could be pleased about our romance. It's no wonder they ended up together, really. They were both the only ones who weren't bound to the complete stupidity of everyone else in the castle. I smiled at her, glad it was her and not one of the other maids. **

**She smiled back of course, and gestured to Pascal. "Having fun?" **

**I laughed. "Oh, yes," I said dryly. "Heaps."**

**She laughed too. "As much fun as I know this is, I have something even more fun for you."**

**Somehow I got the feeling she was being sarcastic. And whatever I had to do **_**wouldn't**_** be fun at all. "What's that?"**

"**Well, Her Majesty told me to tell you that they want to see you today. About now, actually," she said. "She asked me to take you to them when it was time."**

**The Queen? And the King? Wanted to see **_**me**_**? Why did I have the feeling that this might not be a good thing? "Really?" I said. "Did they maybe say…why?" I mentally rehearsed all the things I had done over the past few days to see if I had done anything improper and I came up with…..nothing. Shocking.**

**She smirked a little. "Oh yeah, of course! Because they tell me all of the reasons why they do things." She gave me a meaningful look. "What do you think?"**

**Wow. Catherine's way spunkier than I thought she was. No wonder she and Rapunzel were such good friends. "I'm guessing that's a no," I answered. **

"**Good guess," she said. "So can you follow me please?"**

**I blinked. "Uh, sure." So I followed her.  
**

** XXXXXXXXXXX**

**And that's how I found myself in the throne room, trying not to quiver in my boots. "You called for me?" I said boldly. Rule #3: When in a situation that you can't control, act like you do. "How can I be of your assistance?" I gave a sweeping bow. **

**Did I see them exchange a slightly amused look? Ha! I really can charm anybody, can't I? That, by the way, is Rule #4 in case you wanted to know: When you find yourself in a disturbing situation, always turn on the charm. It will get you out of trouble. **

**The king spoke first. "We called you here today, Mr. Fitzherbert…" He gave me a sidelong look. "It **_**is **_**Mr. Fitzherbert, is it not?"**

**Ugh. I can't believe he just called me that. "Actually, you can call me Eugene." He peered closely at me. "Your Majesty," I added. "If you don't mind, I much prefer Eugene over" I coughed. "Mr. Fitzherbert." **_**Ick. **_

**The Queen smiled encouragingly at me. "I prefer Eugene myself." I couldn't help but notice that she smiled a lot like somebody else I knew- Rapunzel. **

**The King darted a quick glance at her. "Quite." He cleared his throat. "Well, **_**Eugene,"**_** he said. "We have something confidential that we need to talk about. You can keep a still tongue in your head, can't you?"**

**Keep a secret? Me? He really doesn't know me at all, does he? I forced down a laugh. Imagine! Me not being able to keep a secret! Why, until recently my very life depended on my ability to be discreet. I bowed again. "I think I can manage that, Your Majesty."**_** Easily**_**. **

"**Will you swear?" he asked me. **

"**Uh, sure," I said as I held up a hand. "I solemnly swear to…" I paused then continued. "I solemnly swear to…uh" What was I supposed to be swearing anyway? "Pardon me, your Majesty. But what should I be swearing?" I couldn't help but ask. **

**He looked amused. "Swear that you will never tell another soul about our discussion, except those whom we allow you to tell."**

"**Right," I said. "I solemnly swear that I will never tell another soul about our discussion, except those whom you allow me to tell."**

"**Excellent." The King cleared his throat. "Well, now that we have established your silence, I will tell you why we asked you to come. We called you here today because we have an, uh...mission for you to do for us."**

**A mission? For me? Really?**

"**The mission we have for you is of particular importance, and it requires a high level of secrecy and a bit of shrewdness," the King continued.**

**I smirked. "My favorite kind."**

"**Indeed," he said. "Well, recently we have been asked to send an envoy to the court of Screlandria, and we have decided that you, Rapunzel, and some others from our court will go. Normally, this wouldn't be such a large deal, since it is so close to Corona, but relations between us and Screlandria have been…how should we say this? Strained? Since Rapunzel has returned three months ago and we declared her our heir." **

"**Fascinating," I said, though not entirely truthful I must admit. Foreign relations was, how can I say this nicely? One of the things that I could not care less about? Boring as an afternoon of scowling at Pascal? But I guess I would have to forget that, now that I have this **_**grand**_** mission. "But why would relations be strained over Rapunzel? Isn't she an….appropriate heir?" Even the biddies thought she was, which was really saying something. **

**The Queen spoke up. "Of course Rapunzel is an appropriate heir. But you might not know this, but Prince Lorcan of Screlandria is a cousin of our family, which includes Rapunzel."**

**Prince Lorcan? As in the Prince Lorcan who had practically threatened me at the ball? Rapunzel's **_**cousin**_**? I almost choked on my own spit. No way this would end well. The Queen glanced at me, concerned. But I wasn't about to let her know what was bothering me. I pounded my chest with my fist, trying to mask my near choke with a cough. "Is that so?" I asked with fake nonchalance. **

"**Yes," she said. "In fact, Prince Lorcan's and our family go back generations, even as far back as the founding of both countries. Back then, this island was divided between two brothers-one received Corona, the other Screlandria. **

"**Fascinating," I repeated. **_**Not.**_** Remember what I said about foreign relations? Well, you can add history to that too. Maybe this so-called mission will only be an exercise in tediousness.**

"**Since Prince Lorcan is such a close member of our family, when we thought Rapunzel might never come back to us, we told Lorcan that he could be our heir," the King said.**

_**Well, that was rather stupid of you.**_** I made my face as neutral as possible. "Really?"  
**

"**Yes," the King continued. "And now that we announced that Rapunzel is heir instead of him, Lorcan is…." His voice trailed off.**

"**Livid?" I supplied. "Irritated? Aggravated?" **

**He frowned. "Displeased, to say the least." I resisted the urge to say **_**you think? **_** "And while he has been relatively cordial to our faces, we can't help but suspect that he might be planning something secretly."**

"**Really?" I asked. "Do you know what that would be?' **_**Like perhaps running a sword through me? Because I have to say, that would not be stupendous. **_

**His frown deepened. "No," he answered. "We're hoping that whatever he might be up to won't involve Rapunzel being put in danger once more**_**.**_**"**_**I'm hoping that, too.**_** He glanced at the Queen, giving her a certain look, a certain message with his eyes. She seemed to understand what he was saying and sent a message back. Non-verbal communication! Now that would be handy. I wondered if Rapunzel and I would be able to do that someday. **

"**That's where you come in," she said. "We would like to keep a slight eye on Rapunzel, which I'm sure you would do anyway. But we would also like you to, while you are in Screlandria, see if there's anything you can find out about his plans."**

**For the first time in many minutes, I felt the urge to smile. Now we're getting somewhere."So you're asking me to spy."**

"**No," she added hastily. "We're asking you to uncover any information that might be useful to us."**

**I smirked again. "Right. Spy." Forget what I said before, this might actually be fun! There's nothing I like better than sneaking around. In fact, I've kind of missed it. Besides the secret rendezvouses with Rapunzel, there has been a tragic lack of sneaking going on lately.**

**The Queen glanced helplessly at her husband. He cleared his throat noisily. "Call it whatever you like. That's rather unimportant. What**_** is**_** important is the question of whether you will do this for us."**

**Of course I would! He thinks I would pass up this opportunity (any opportunity, really) to be sly, this time actually sanctioned by the monarchy? "Oh, don't worry. It would be my greatest pleasure to assist you in this matter, your Majesty," I assured him with another bow.**

"**Glad to hear it," he said. "We are most grateful to you….**_**Eugene**_**, and we are pleased that you have decided to do this for us. We believe you are the right man for the job, given your proximity to Rapunzel, and your ability to…" Were his eyes twinkling? "Act….how should we say? Devious?"**

**Was she actually smiling now too? Maybe I had misjudged both of them. I had sort of lumped them in with the rest of the stick in the muds, but perhaps I had been wrong. They were actually **_**smiling! **_**Could it be that they found my antics entertaining? Who knew? "Yes, well, acting devious is one of my many talents, as you must know."**

**They exchanged amused glances. "Oh, yes," the King said. "We know."**

**Suddenly I remembered that three short months ago they had ordered my execution. For acting like a devious thief. "Uh, yeah," I said guiltily. "I guess you do." I coughed again. **_**And on that happy note..."**_**Well, I think I'd best be going. As long as there's nothing else you need to say, that is." I turned toward the door, hoping that there wasn't.**

"**There is one more thing," the King said.**

**I groaned inwardly. **_**I was afraid of that**_**. I looked back at them, one eyebrow raised in question.**

"**You do know that you can't tell Rapunzel about this, of course. There's no sense in putting her in more danger."**

**I turned completely around to stare at them. Not tell Rapunzel? Were they serious? **

"**You did know that, didn't you? And accepted it?" **

**A myriad of responses went through my mind: Uh, no? How was I supposed to know? You never said anything about that! You are insane if you think I won't tell Rapunzel. I wanted to say no chance I'm doing that, but I resisted. I had a strong feeling that more than just a spying mission rested on my answer. "I don't like it," I said at last. "And I can guarantee that she won't either when she finds out." **_**Because she**_** will**_** find out. Rapunzel was just smart that way.**_** "But if you say that I can't tell her, then I have an obligation not to tell her. I swore that I wouldn't tell anyone that you said I couldn't."**

**He nodded, seemingly pleased with my answer. "Good. We'll send for you again in the next few days to clarify the details of your trip."**

**I bowed. "Until then, your Majesty."**

**Then I left the room, shaking my head ruefully. **_**Rapunzel,**_** I thought. **_**I hope you aren't too mad with us when you find out about this. **_**I headed back in the direction of my room, hoping for once that I wouldn't run into Rapunzel. And naturally I did. I had barely walked down the hallway before I saw her. **

"**Eugene!" she greeted me with a pleased smile. "I didn't think I'd see you until dinner. What a surprise!"**

**I smiled back at her, hoping it looked natural. "A good one, I hope!"**

"**But of course!" she said. "I just thought you'd be…." Suddenly a puzzled look crossed her face. "What **_**are **_**you doing in this part of the castle anyway? This isn't one of your normal places."**

**I forced a laugh, as my mind raced. "Uh, well," I stammered. "I decided to explore this part of the castle….just in case of an…uh…emergency. Be prepared, and all that."**

**She looked skeptical, as I knew she would. Rapunzel looks sweet, (and of course she is) but underneath it all she is very tough. "Right," she said slowly. "That makes some sense. But it doesn't sound like something you'd actually do."**

"**Oh you know me," I said. "Always keep them guessing." **_**I do believe it's time to change the subject. **_**"So how was Lady Gray today?" **

**She immediately launched into a long winded rant about her lessons and continued to walk down the hallway. And as she did I couldn't help but think how much I hated not telling her the truth. **


	10. The Journey Begins

A/N: I have a special surprise for you. I actually have two chapters down, and because I'm exceptionally nice (haha) I'll post them both now instead of making you wait.

I hope you like them. Leave a review; I love them!

* * *

_**Chapter -The Journey Begins**_

"Following the light of the sun, we left the old world."

-Christopher Columbus

"_And as she did I couldn't help but think how much I hated telling her the truth. But I have to say that I _was _excited about spying for her parents."_

_Leana shifted in her chair. When she had first heard about this story, she really hadn't expected that would be so much drama. Imagine, her gentle grandparents sending spies! She could understand why they might have, given the circumstances. But her father? A spy? She glanced at him in appraisal and she watched as his eyes wandered across the room, seemingly taking in every detail. Actually, now that she thought about it, she could picture him as one, a good one even. He was so clever and observant. Sneaky, too. _

_She smiled at Father. "Somehow I can really see you as a spy."_

_He smiled back, pleased. "Well, of course you can, Little Lea. That's because you acknowledge my superb intelligence and ability to be discreet about such matters."_

_Mother barked out a laugh. "Oh ho! As if I didn't know that minute that you were hiding something from me again!"_

_His lips drooped into a pout, much to Leana's amusement. "Really? All these years I thought I had fooled you."_

_She smirked at him. "Not a bit."_

"_But how did you know?" asked Leana._

_Her mother's lips turned up into a smile. "That's the next part of the story."_

Well, as I was walking down the hallway that afternoon, I have to say that I didn't expect to run into Eugene at all. That section of the castle was where the governing took place, and obviously he never went there. Government was something that…now how did he put it? Oh yes, something that he could not care less about and boring as an afternoon of scowling at Pascal. As a result, he never graced those hallways with his presence. I didn't usually either, but Andrew Tudor, my tutor, had decided that I should see where I would rule someday. He gave me a lengthy tour of all the rooms before giving me a quiz about them. Not the most interesting lesson I had ever had, but it was better than the lessons that Lady Gray had given me earlier that day: proper dining etiquette. All in all it had been a pretty dreary afternoon, not even with dancing or horseback riding to liven it up. As I walked, I wished that I would somehow come across Eugene before dinner. He would raise my spirits, no doubt about that. Since the ball, his angst over his father had diminished and he was back to his joking self, much to my relief. I was back to my perky self too, and things were as good between us as they had ever been. So I really hoped that I would be able to see him because I missed talking with him.

And my wish was granted. Soon I caught sight of him, confidently walking from the governing part of the castle toward the residence part.

"Eugene!" I said with a happy smile. "I didn't think I'd see you until dinner. What a surprise!"

He turned to face me, a smile pasted on his face. "A good one, I hope!"

Silly boy! Didn't he know that there was nothing I liked better than being with him? "But of course! I just thought you'd be…." It _was _a grand surprise seeing him, but wasn't he supposed to be with Pascal? In his room? On the complete other side of the castle? "What _are _you doing in this part of the castle anyway? This isn't one of your normal places."

He laughed, but it didn't sound quite right to me. Yes, by then I could tell between his genuine laugh and his fake one. And this was a fake one. "Uh, well," he said. "I decided to explore this part of the castle….just in case of an…uh….emergency. Be prepared, and all that."

He decided to explore the castle in case of an emergency? Seriously? His explanation was quite…unbelievable. That sounded like something Lady Gray might do, and if Lady Gray would do it, I can guarantee that he wouldn't. "Right," I said finally. "That makes some sense." And it would, for basically everyone except him. "But that doesn't really sound like something you'd actually do." I looked closely into his eyes, searching to see if I found the truth there. And I didn't. I sighed inwardly, because I knew he was keeping something from me. Again.

"Oh you know me," he joked. "Always keep them guessing." That's for sure! "So how was Lady Gray today?"

_Okay, I guess we're on to something else._ I knew he wasn't telling me the whole truth, and I most admit that I hated that fact. But what was I supposed to do? He was very good at being evasive, and I didn't want to risk another confrontation like the one about his father. I sighed as I decided I would just answer the question. "Quite awful," I said. "Today she made me tell her the distinctions between like six different forks. That all looked exactly the same."

He glanced at me as we continued to walk down the hallway. "Really?" he asked, though I couldn't help but notice the slightest hint of distraction in his voice.

"_Yes_," I said, trying to grab hold of his attention again. "And when I missed one of them, she was so aggravated. I swear, she looked like she had sucked on five lemons. And then swallowed them. Whole."

He looked at me again with a smile in his eyes. "Oh?" He laughed. "I wish I could have seen that!"

I laughed as well. "I wish you could have, too. Her face was so funny it almost made up for the huge scolding she gave me for missing the question."

We continued to joke and tease all throughout that walk and through dinner as well. And I couldn't help but wish that our relationship could always be that simple.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, much to my surprise, my parents asked to meet with me in the throne room. Since they usually talked to me in a more casual place, I felt some trepidation as I walked into the room.

"You asked for me?" I said with a slight curtsy. I knew it wasn't necessary, but I wanted to make sure my parents felt that I respected their position.

My mother smiled gently. "Oh, Rapunzel, you don't need to curtsy."

"I know," I said. "But I just felt that I should. I can tell that you have something…important to talk to me about."

Mother and Father exchanged looks. "Well, we do," Father said. "We're sending you on a trip."

I was going to go somewhere? A thrill of excitement crept down my spine. "Really?" I asked quickly. "Where? When?"

Mother 's eyes shined with amusement."We're happy you're so thrilled about leaving us," she said.

I blushed in embarrassment. I hoped they didn't think that I was dying to get away from them, because that wasn't true at all. But after eighteen years of being cramped up in a tower, and three in a castle, I couldn't help but feel the slightest twinge of anticipation at thought of travel. "Oh, I'm not glad about leaving you. I'll…I'll miss both of you. But I've always wanted to see the world."

Mother smiled at me again. "We're just messing with you, dear," she said. "We will miss you too. But this trip is very important."

Important? Suddenly I wondered how much fun this trip would be. If it was for some kind of state business, it might not actually be that much. "So where will I be going?" I asked hesitantly.

"Well, we've been recently asked by your cousin, Prince Lorcan, to send an envoy to Screlandria and we've decided that you will go," Father told me.

I was to go to Screlandria, and as I thought, it was most likely on state business. Ugh. But I was pleased that they thought I was ready to go on that kind of trip. It showed that they both had a high amount of confidence in my princess abilities. "Wow," I said. "I'm honored. How long will I be there?"

"At least a month or two," he explained. "You will be joined by our diplomat, Thomas Howard, several of our lords and ladies, and you can pick a maid or two to go with you."

I could take a maid with me? I can tell you that this was one princess decision that took only five seconds. Catherine would most likely be pleased to go with me, and she would be even more pleased if I could finagle some way for Philip to come with us. "I pick Catherine of course. Can Philip go as well?" I asked cautiously.

Father glanced at Mother, as if he left that decision to her. "You want Philip to go?" she said. "Well, if you like he can. You _will _be traveling by horse."

I felt a frown creep across my face. They hadn't mentioned Eugene. I hope they hadn't forgotten about him; I couldn't bear leaving him for a whole month or two. It would be agony to be there without him. "Uh, is anybody else going?"

Mother's eyes twinkled. "Anybody? Meaning somebody whose name begins and ends with the letter E?"

Mother knew me pretty well after only three months. "Uh, yeah," I said.

She laughed. "Don't worry, sweet. He'll go." She exchanged a very interesting look with Father. "In fact, we have something for him that makes it imperative."

"Oh?" I asked. _Anything you'd care to share? _

They exchanged another interesting look and I couldn't help but feel that they were keeping something from me too. More secrets! They probably weren't going to tell me anything either. "So when will I be leaving?"

"About a week."

My mouth dropped open slightly. "That soon?"

"Yes."

"Well, I guess I'd better get packing."

XXXXXXXXXX

And so I did. The next week flew by in a series of final tutoring sessions with Andrew and Lady Gray, talks with Eugene (mostly fun ones, but there was the…very _not _fun one when I had to tell him that his father was coming with us. As I'm sure you can guess, it wasn't pretty), dinners with my parents, and fittings for more dresses. I know, I know. I couldn't believe it either! I thought I had enough dresses, but Mother said she wanted me to look my best for the Screlandrian court. And that meant more gowns. I didn't complain though; there were worse things for a princess to endure.

Like saying goodbye to my parents. I thought I was ready for it, but my eyes watered soon after we had left, and I couldn't see them anymore: both because they were out of sight, and because I couldn't have seen them anyway through my tears. _Pull yourself together_, I told myself sternly. _Princesses do not show their emotions._ Encouraged by my own pep talk, I managed to somehow bury my sadness for two days, but on the third day my heart felt heavy with homesickness the further we traveled. Unbidden, tears pricked my eyes. But as I rode along on Cassandra, I tried to hide it and act like the strong princess that I was trained to be.

"Rapunzel?"

I knew that voice almost as well as I knew my own now. "Eugene?"

He rode up beside me on Maximus, eyes full of concern. "Are you…okay?"  
I made myself smile. "Of course."

He shook his head. "Uh-uh. You're upset about something. Let me guess. You miss your parents, right?"

He knew me very well after three months too. "Yes," I admitted. "I do. I just….hate leaving them so soon." I felt a tear trickle down my face, and I tried to wipe it away before he saw it.

He did. I knew he would. He never missed anything, especially when it came to me and my feelings. "I know how you feel," he said. I found that very hard to believe, and so I shot him a surprised look. He laughed. "Well, of course I don't completely know. I mean, I never miss my father." I laughed too. That was for sure! Eugene totally loathed Lord Herbert. There was only one thing that kept him from pounding his father's face in (even now!) and I had a feeling I knew what that one thing was: me. "But I do know what it's like to miss your mother."

He did know. I only had to see the expression in his eyes and remember the sound of his voice when he had told me how she had died to realize that. "I know you do," I said quietly. "I'm sorry. You must…miss her even more that I could ever imagine."

He glanced at me. "I do," he said in a serious voice. "Every day." Compassion filled me at his words, but I have to admit that I was surprised he was being so serious. Generally, he couldn't be solemn for more than five minutes at a time, and if I had judged correctly, those five minutes was up. He was due for a joke pretty soon, if I knew him as well as I thought I did.

I was right. The sober look completely vanished from his face, the joking one in its place. "So, Princess," he teased. "Ready for Screlandria in two days?"

Was I ready? Most of the time I didn't feel ready, but I _was _prepared for this. Lady Gray, Andrew Tudor, and my parents had all seen to that. "Yeah, I guess so. How about you? Are you ready for Screlandria?"

He smirked. "You didn't ask the right question: it's not whether I'm ready for Screlandria, but is Screlandria ready for _me_."

I couldn't help chuckling at that. "Is that so? Invincible, are you?" He nodded affirmatively. "So what are you anyway? The Rock of Gibraltar?"

His smirk increased, if such a thing was even possible. "Just call me Rock." I laughed in his face, and he almost looked like he was pouting. "Oh, come on, Rapunzel. It's a good name for me! Like you said, I'm never rattled. Besides, I'm ready for anything too. Just watch."

That's when the first arrow struck.


	11. Ambush!

_**Chapter 10-Ambush!**_

Alas! How easily things go wrong!"

-George MacDonald

That arrow landed two feet to the side of us, barely missing Maximus' hooves. Cassandra nearly spooked, but I managed to calm her down. Much to my horror, that arrow was followed by another and another, and I could hear the loud commands of our military guard as they prepared themselves for the attack. Catherine, who had been riding with Philip, drew closer to me. "What should we do, Princess?" she whispered.

I barely heard her. I was so completely distracted by watching the guard begin to launch their own counter-attack, both with arrows and swords. And since I was the princess, all of them began to band around me. Although I was glad that they wanted to protect me, I couldn't help but feel the slightest twinges of anxiety at the thought of being caught in a circle with a bunch of attackers who likely wanted me dead. No, I'm not being pompous. Who else would they want to kill? Much as I wanted to forget it sometimes, I couldn't help but face the facts: I was the princess. And sometimes princesses aren't so popular.

Terror at the possible endings to this came over me then, now that the shock had gone. What if they managed to kill all of the guards? Who would be left to defend me? I couldn't do it myself, much to my chagrin. And annoyance. I had nothing to defend myself with, nothing (not even Hesty!).What kind of teachers or guards did I have anyway, if they couldn't even arm their princess when she traveled through the forest? Seriously. If I lived through this, the least I was going to do was to ask for a dagger. Self-defense lessons would have been better, but I would take what I could get.

Really, self-defense against possible assassins should have been one of the things I had been taught as princess before I left! I knew all of Lady Gray's lessons about etiquette would be useless one of these days, and I was right. All that knowledge wouldn't get me anywhere if I was dead. Because I can guarantee that these ruffians could care less if I knew the difference between a salad fork and a dessert fork. I mean, why would they care? They were probably lucky if they had _one_ fork to eat with, forget multiple ones! Hypothetically, if they _did_ manage to capture me and put a sword to my throat, how could I defend myself? What could I say? Oh, no, don't kill me? I can be helpful to you? I know all this profoundly useless dining etiquette? I'm sure that it would mean nothing to them, not when they were likely proficient in the language of hitting people till their brains fell out, and I was proficient in the language of princess manners. I'm sure you can figure out who would win here in this battle of brawn versus brains.

Just as I was thinking these _very _happy thoughts, I caught sight of one our attackers through the trees and I gasped in horror at his sheer size. I had thought that the Vikings I had met at the Snuggly Ducking were big, but this man was huge! And he was coming closer and closer to us. _Oh, no_, I thought frantically. _I don't stand a chance! What am I going to do? _In that instant, I knew I couldn't stand still in the circle, and helplessly hope that I would be safe. No, I had to do something, something active, something to warn them about the attacker. The guards were somehow managing to hold their own, but I knew that could quickly change in an instant.

Ironically, instead of asking the captain of the guard for help or anything like that, I looked to someone else. Quickly, my gaze wandered to Eugene. "Ah, Eugene," I began nervously. The huge man started to come closer. "_Eugene_!"

His eyes darted around, seemingly taking in every detail. And I could tell that he had caught sight of the man. He unsheathed his sword bravely (because he, of course, had been lucky enough to have been given one. The guards' stupidity didn't extend that far). "Rapunzel," he said. "Go!" His eyes twitched in a certain direction, but barely. I looked that way and saw a …small cave nestled in the hilltop, only a few yards away. Somehow I, not to mention the entire guard, had missed it. But was he serious? A cave? Wouldn't that be worse? I glanced at him skeptically. His expression was completely resolute though. "GO!"

I didn't want to, but I turned Cassandra in the direction of the cave and gestured to Catherine to follow me. She understood my message, and we both kicked our heels into our horses' sides. They immediately sprung into a canter, and somehow we managed to break out of the guard's circle. No, don't ask me how they missed us because I have no idea, even to this day. Maybe they were too distracted by the multitude of ambushers. Maybe they were just not that observant. I don't know. All I can tell you that is we were especially lucky. Catherine and I drew closer and closer, all the while hoping that we would be safe. We were almost at the cave when I heard the hoof beats. Fearfully, I glanced behind us, only to be profoundly relieved that it was only Eugene and Philip. I should have known that they couldn't leave us like that, not without protecting us.

Soon Catherine and I entered the cave, and we both dismounted, knowing that they would stay at the entrance to defend us if necessary. They were just wonderful that way. I spoke softly into Cassandra's ears, sweetly asking her to stay quiet. She whickered, as if in agreement. Now that I knew she would stay, I sat down with a deep sigh. What would happen now? What if the ambushers found us? What if Eugene and Philip couldn't hold them off? What if Eugene was hurt…again?

Catherine crept over to me. "I'm…scared, Rapunzel," she whispered.

Of course she was. I was, too. She was probably as worried about Philip as I was about Eugene. I was proud of them, but what they were doing definitively wasn't the smartest thing. In fact, it was kind of stupid. Brave, but stupid. They should have stayed with the other guards, where there were more numbers. Here, who knew what would happen if they were found? I could only hope that they would be safe. "I know," I said. "I am too." I let out a deep breath. "But we have to be strong."

Her eyes were vacant. "Strong…"

"Yes," I said. "And believe that they will be fine."

She came closer to me, and I could see the deep fear in her eyes. I gently hugged her. "Everything will be fine," I repeated over and over.

Now if only I could believe it myself.

XXXXXXXXXXX

I don't know how long Catherine and I sat in the cave, huddling together. It probably hadn't been any more than an hour, but it sure felt like a long time. Eternity seemed to pass until Eugene came back, with his arms propping up a wounded Philip. Catherine got up immediately with a strangled cry.

"Eugene," she exclaimed. "What happened?"

We all congregated at the mouth of the cave, and Eugene gently laid Philip on the ground. "Got him in the side with an arrow," he said ruefully. "I tried going after whoever it was, but I couldn't find them."

Catherine quickly was distracted by comforting Philip, who grew paler and paler by the minute. He seemed almost unconscious now. Besides that, I could see the blood trickling from beneath his fingers. And I knew that his wound was bad. Could be fatal, even. What were we going to do? Here we had three people who had no medicine knowledge and potential assassins outside our door that could kill us if we tried to leave.

I glanced at Eugene helplessly. His eyes were solemn. "Rapunzel," he said. "You know what you have to do now, don't you?"

I stared at him in shock. He couldn't possibly mean what I thought he meant, could he? "Uh, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you?" One glance told me that he did. "I don't…I mean…I can't…I thought it only worked that one time!" _And only because I care about you so._

Catherine, who had been preoccupied until then, became a combination of absolute agony and astonishment as she watched us debate. "Rapunzel?" she asked, confused. "Eugene? What's going on?"

I ignored her, as I continued to stare at him. "I am, and you can," he said, his expression quite serious.

"I don't…you can't think that I…I _can't"_ I stammered as I looked away. I couldn't meet his eyes. Not when I knew he was right, and I was scared: Scared that it wouldn't work. And scared that it would.

"Yes, you can," he repeated, and turned me to face him. "It's the only way." His eyes burned into mine.

I knew that it was, but I still hesitated. "But…but…"

"Now, Rapunzel!" he ordered as he shook my shoulders gently. "Before he bleeds to death!" _Like I did._

He didn't say that last part aloud. He didn't need to.

Because I easily understood his full meaning- _don't let Philip die like I did, not when you can stop it._ I raised my eyes to meet his. They were filled with firmness. But kindness too, and it comforted me. "Think of Catherine," he added softly.

I looked at Catherine. She had a tear creeping out of one eye. "Please?" she whispered.

I sighed and drew next to Philip. "All right," I said. "I'll try." I took a deep breath and then sang the incantation softly:

_Flower gleam and glow_

_Let your power shine_

_Make the clock reverse _

_Bring back what once was mine_

_Heal what has been hurt_

_Change the fate's design_

_Save what has been lost_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_What once was mine_

I closed my eyes, and imagined myself back up in the tower in order to make a tear come. I made more than one tear come, actually, because the grief I had experienced was still so present and raw. Besides that, all of that grief was manifested in Catherine and I couldn't help but feel compassion for her. A tear dripped from my face onto Philip as I imagined the arrow never entering his side. I opened my eyes and crept away. "Okay," I said. "I've done all I can do." Would it be enough? I could only hope it would be, for Philip's sake. And Catherine's. After all, I knew what it was like to watch the one you love hover on the verge of death. Hover? What was I saying? There had been no_ hovering_ back in the tower! He had succumbed to death, plain and simple. He had _died_. And this little incident was only bringing back the worst of memories for me: Eugene being stabbed, Eugene bleeding to death. And I hadn't been able to stop it. My eyes darted toward him. His face was drawn, and I could easily tell that he was remembering, just like me. I stared down at my hands, all of a sudden very interested in my cuticles (Okay, so I wasn't really, but I couldn't bear to look at Catherine, Eugene, _or _Philip. So my hands were really the only option), hoping that Philip would be healed.

We must have sat there for at least a few minutes, and I was just thinking that I really needed to clean out the dirt from underneath my fingernails before I met Prince Lorcan, when I heard Catherine sharply inhale.

My head jerked up. "What?" I asked quickly. "What happened?" He couldn't have died, could he?

Catherine, at a loss for words, gestured toward Philip. I looked, not entirely sure what I would see, and I was shocked. He was breathing deeply, though his eyes were still shut. But he appeared like nothing had ever had happened (much like Eugene had, actually). My eyes searched for any sign of what happened:

Where the arrow had been? Nothing.

Where the blood had been? Nothing.

My breath caught in my throat. "Good God," I whispered. "It worked."

Eugene placed an arm around me and drew me close to him. I sighed from both relief and pleasure. I loved it when he did this."Yes," he said. "Yes, it did." He pressed a kiss to my hair. "I knew it would."

I pulled away, surprised. "You did?" Really? How could he?

He looked petulant. "Of course! I'm sorry I was so stern with you. But I had to, Rapunzel. I knew you needed me to. Or else you wouldn't have done it."

For a second I thought about protesting, but I knew he was right. I most likely _wouldn't_ have had the confidence if he hadn't pushed me to do it. Because he did, now Philip was healed. And Catherine was beaming with both joy and relief.

"Rapunzel!" she said. "I had no idea you could do that! It's amazing! I can't wait to tell Lady Gray when we return. She'll-"

"No!" I interrupted firmly. "No, you can't tell anyone about this."

Her eyes filled with confusion. "Why not? You could do so much good for so many people if people knew."

Any words of explanation died in my throat, so I looked helplessly at Eugene. He cleared his throat. "Catherine," he said seriously. "That's not such a good idea. I know what you're saying and it's true that Rapunzel could do a lot of good with her talent. But what's also true is that people will use her for it. In fact, that's already happened."

Understanding dawned on her. "Oh, I see," she said quietly. She turned to me. "I'm so sorry, Rapunzel. I didn't…I mean, I never…I wouldn't have ever suggested it if I had known." Worry that she had offended me presented itself on her face.

"That's okay, Catherine," I told her. "I know you didn't. But it would be best if this stayed between the three of us."

She smiled, relieved. "Four." She gestured to Philip with her hand.

I smiled back. "Right, four. But no one else."

"Yes," Eugene agreed. "Let's keep it as our secret."

We all put our hands out to shake on it, and then smiled at each other. Relief filled me that this wouldn't change anything. I could trust all of them not to tell. Nothing would change just because my tear had managed to heal somebody else again. And nobody else would ever know.

Maybe I had been wrong about that.


	12. An Unexpected Comrade and an Unwelcome L

A/N: Thanks to those who have been patiently following this story. I have to say that there hasn't been...as much action as I would have liked, and that's probably because I didn't outline this story, which was a definite mistake. However, I am pleased to say that first, I did outline the rest of it, and second, the action will definitely pick up in the next few chapters.

As always, thanks for reading!

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_**Chapter 11- An Unexpected Comrade and an Unwelcome Lover **_

"I don't know how you stand society. A lot of nobodies talking about nothing."

-Lord Caversham in An Ideal Husband

We remained in the cave for at least another hour or two, just to be sure that Philip was all right and the ruffians had left. When Philip woke up, you can be sure that he was slightly stunned when we told him what I had done, but he gamely said that he would never tell another soul. Catherine expressed concern that we might lose the rest of our party, but I told her that wasn't possible. They would never leave without me, their princess.

Eventually, we left the cave and found the guards. I must say, they weren't entirely please with us, especially me. My ears are still ringing for the harsh scolding they had given me, and Eugene too. They were annoyed with me for leaving and annoyed with Eugene for letting me leave. Of course, he defended me by saying that he didn't let me leave, he _ordered _me to but it made no difference to them. As punishment (at least that's how it felt) they said I couldn't go more than three feet away with a guard accompanying me. Yes, it did make the last two days of our journey horrible.

However, the journey finally did come to an end, thank goodness. We reached the capital of Screlandria on the afternoon of the fifth day to a grand greeting by Prince Lorcan. Eugene seemed slightly surprised at our warm greeting, but I was much more stunned by the blue-eyed, black-haired girl that hovered close to Lorcan who looked no older than I. I would have asked him who she was, but he actually introduced her before I could.

"This is my sister, Princess Leana," he said with a suave smile. "Leana, meet Princess Rapunzel of Corona."

She curtsied shyly. "Welcome to Screlandria, Princess." I immediately noticed the presence of a Screlandrian accent in her voice that wasn't present in her brother. Interesting.

"Thank you," I said politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you." I liked her at once, even if she was a little quiet. But maybe that's how I would be too, if I grew up with a brother like Prince Lorcan. He _was_ pretty imposing

After exchanging further greetings, Prince Lorcan ordered some of his servants to show us to our rooms. As I'm sure you can imagine, the rooms were very nice. Lavish, even. But I have to say that I missed my room back in Corona, and my paintings. Somehow the room was just too big to seem like home. Catherine gushed over it though, saying that she had never seen such a beautiful room in her entire life. I hadn't either, but I couldn't help but wish for a smaller one.

Thankfully, however, I didn't have to stay there long. That evening Prince Lorcan threw a grand dinner in my honor. We ate in the largest dining hall, but although I was trained for that kind of occasion, I didn't enjoy it much. For one, I was fatigued from our journey. For another, I sat not with Eugene but with the highest ranking nobles of both Corona and Screlandria who generally liked to discuss the same old boring things. Everything they wanted to discuss was clothes or the weather, which actually was precisely what Lady Gray had told me to talk about. But I must confess that talking about the same two things over and over grew very tedious. Beyond that, I found myself uncomfortably sitting across from Lord Herbert.

Suffice to say, I spent much of the time picking at my food. I stared down at it often, but one time I looked up to see Lord Herbert looking at me…almost kindly.

"Are you all right, Princess?" he asked softly.

I forced a smile. "Yes, quite."

Ironically enough, his eyes looked almost disbelieving. A lot like Eugene's did, actually, when he thought I wasn't entirely honest with him. I plunged on, not giving him the chance to question me further. "So, Lord Herbert, how was the journey for you?

He seemed nonplussed for a moment, but then he smiled. "Good, thank you," he said. "And you? How have you enjoyed it? I noticed you spent a lot of time with young Mr. Rider."

Mr. _Rider_? I don't think anyone had ever called him that. "Yes," I said. "But his name is Eugene now."

He nodded. "Ah," he said. "I see. Not playing the thief anymore, is that it? But he's still quite the dashing lad, isn't he? And irresistible too!" He winked surreptitiously at me, and I had a feeling I knew what he might be implying.

My cheeks warmed. "Ah…" Dashing? In truth, Eugene was that. Irresistible? Most of the time. But somehow Lord Herbert didn't need to know that. "He might, to be sure," I said finally. Which didn't really say anything, thank God.

Lord Herbert only laughed. "Oh, come now, Princess," he said. "I know how lads like him can be. I was one myself once, you know, a very long time ago. Actually, he reminds me of myself in some ways, from what I've seen."

_More than you know! _"Is that a fact?"

"Oh yes," he said. "He seems like he was very much the rogue and flirt, in addition to being a thief. Though I can't help but notice that he's quite devoted to you." He gave me a knowing look.

"Really?" I was basically telling him nothing, but that was my goal. Eugene would never forgive me if I did, I knew that for sure.

"Yes," he answered, his eyes probing. "Nothing like the love of the right woman to change a man, don't you think?"

"Perhaps," I said vaguely. _I do believe it's time to change the subject._ "So, you were a rogue when you were young?"

He laughed again. "Oh, Princess, you have no idea. I was very much the rogue, possibly even more than your young Mr. Rider."

"Eugene," I corrected. I couldn't help but wonder if maybe there had been one for him; somehow he wasn't at all the scoundrel that I thought he would be or that Eugene said he was. Yes, he could be...a little aggravating, but no more than Eugene himself could be sometimes. "So can I ask you something?"

He smiled. "If you like, Princess."

"Was…there a woman who changed you when you were young?" I asked cautiously.

The smile disappeared off his face, and his eyes were sad. "No, there wasn't. I remained a womanizer for quite some time. I was even proud of it, I'm afraid. I fancied that I was completely irresistible to women, and they would just fall at my feet. Most of them did. And those who didn't at first sight, I managed to change their mind with a certain face."

A certain…._face?_ "What did it look like?" I asked, overwhelmed with curiosity. Would it be like Eugene's?

"Well," he said. "I don't really do it anymore. But it was something like this." His lips pouted out, one of his eyebrows raised, and his expression was a cross between a frown, a scowl, and a sulky face. Or in other words, just like Eugene's. I faked indifference. "So that's it?"

He almost smiled again. "Yes," he said. "I called it 'The Smolder' because I was so…attractive I 'smoldered'. Silly, isn't it?" He looked thoughtful. "You know, you're a pretty smart young lady. I can see why…Eugene likes you. You seem completely unaffected by men's wiles. I can only remember one lady who was like that, who wasn't affected by my face."

Instinctively, I knew who he was talking about: Eugene's mother. "Do…do you remember her?"

His eyes were sorrowful. "Yes," he said. "Yes, I do. Her name was Vivian and she worked on my estate. She was….spunky, full of life, intelligent and she had the most beautiful green eyes and brown hair." He stared at me for a minute. "You're a little bit like her."

I smiled. Eugene had said the same thing. "Thank you."

He smiled back, and I glanced down the table only to see Eugene staring at me. I shrugged. _What? _He shook his head and mouthed later. I sighed. _Oh, good, more fun._

XXXXXXXXX

After the meal ended, Eugene met me outside the door and we walked to our rooms together (Surprisingly enough, they weren't that far apart. I mean they were, but it wasn't as far a walk as in Corona). I glanced at him frequently, but he was unusually quiet for quite some time.

"So," he said at last. "You seemed to have a nice conversation with someone tonight. Mind telling me who it was?"

"What?" I asked in confusion. "Don't you know?"

"If I knew, then I wouldn't be asking, now would I?" he asked, irritated.

My eyes widened in surprise. I'd never heard him sound like…well, a _grump _before. And I knew a grumpy Eugene was like a blue moon: meaning they hardly ever happened. "I guess not," I answered. "But I just thought….I don't know. Anyway, I was talking to your father."

He frowned. "What?"

"You…you didn't know?" I said, surprised. "You didn't know that was your father?" _He didn't…know? What?_

His frown deepened. "No. I guess I just stupidly didn't recognize him. So…he wasn't mean to you, was he? Because if he was, I swear, I'm going to introduce him to a very good friend of mine: Mr. Fist."

That's one way to put bashing in somebody's face. I didn't think I ever wanted to meet Eugene's "Mr. Fist". I don't think anybody else would want to either. "No," I said. "We had a pleasant conversation."

He laughed sardonically. "Why are you laughing?" I couldn't help but ask.

He smiled, but it was a cynical smile. One that I have to say I associated more with Flynn Rider than Eugene Fitzherbert. "I'm sorry, I thought you said that you had a pleasant conversation with my father."

"Uh, I did." _Forgive me if I don't know why that's laughable._

"Uh," he said. "That's funny. I just don't see how you could have. Because he's a total prig."

A prig? Lord Herbert? He was many things, to be sure, but I wasn't sure a prig really described him. "Actually, he didn't seem that way to me," I said. "He wasn't smug at all."

"Huh," was his only response.

I was starting to wonder if maybe...maybe he was wrong about his father. From what I had seen, Lord Herbert was almost…agreeable. "Are you…are you sure he's not…that you're not" I broke off mid-sentence once I saw the irritation in his face. An irritated Eugene I must admit disturbed me as much as a grumpy one.

I must have looked quite horrified, because he sighed. "Rapunzel, I really don't want to fight with you again about my father. So, let's just drop it, okay?"

"Okay," I said, even though I didn't really want to.

We walked for a while in silence, until Eugene cracked jokes about how no one in the nobility ever said any thing about anything. And I couldn't help but laugh because he was right. I teased him back because he was quite good at talking about nothing himself sometimes. He pretended to be offended but we laughed the rest of the way back to our rooms.

XXXXXXXXXX

As I got ready for bed, I thought long and hard about many things, including Lord Herbert. And the thinking divided me in half: half thought bemusedly that Eugene had more in common with his father than he probably wanted to, like their eyes, their ability to be rogues, their ability to charm women, their ability to tease. The other half wished that whatever Lord Herbert had done he hadn't done so that he and Eugene could talk. They were so similar. They even had the same "Smolder" face!

In that instant, I decided something. If Eugene didn't want to talk to me about what his father had done, then I would find out myself from Lord Herbert. Maybe if I did and it wasn't too bad, I could possibly…smooth things over between the two of them. With that decided I curled up in my bed and went to sleep.

XXXXXXXXX

The next day I put my plan into action. I tried to talk to Lord Herbert as much as I could at the events that week, but I have to say that every time I even was close Prince Lorcan would start chatting with me. It didn't matter really what the topic was either, or how I was feeling- He seemed like he couldn't bear to be away from me. Which was a little flattering, but mostly annoying. He completely monopolized me (I barely was able to even talk with Eugene!), and it increased at each night's event, especially at this one which was a petit ball. I couldn't be rude, so I made polite remarks until Eugene thankfully asked if he could steal me away for a waltz. Prince Lorcan didn't look happy, but he let me go.

Eugene gently led me onto the dance floor, and I must admit a little thrill went through me when he placed an arm around my waist and took my hand in his.

"So," he said with a smile. "I didn't interrupt anything important, did I?"

I giggled. "Not at all. Actually..." I lowered my voice. "He talks a lot but he doesn't ever say much of anything. So I was growing a little tired of talking to him."

"I could tell," he said, almost sympathetically. "That's why I came. You looked like you needed a break."

That was a slight understatement. I didn't dislike Prince Lorcan exactly, but I couldn't say I was overly fond of him either. Especially when it seemed he would die if he let me talk to anybody else. "I did. Thank you. You know, I really don't know what's gotten into him. He's been so clingy lately."

He smirked. "I do."

"And what's that?" I asked curiously.

"You have to ask?" he answered. "He's got a thing for you."

My eyes widened in surprise. "A thing for me?" I stammered. "As in a _romantic_ thing?" Surely…surely not! Didn't Prince Lorcan know about Eugene's and my relationship?

"Is there another kind?" he said. "Yes, a romantic thing."

"He barely even knows me!" I sputtered. _Oh, you're one to talk, Rapunzel. Didn't you fall for Eugene in three days? _ That's different! Eugene _died_ for me. How could I do anything _but _love somebody who would do something like that? As far as I can see, Prince Lorcan hadn't done anything for me. Well, besides completely talk my ear off. There was that.

My objection had landed on dead ears. "He's got a thing for you," he repeated.

"He's my _cousin_!" I protested. I knew from my studies that cousins did occasionally marry each other, but I found it kind of disturbing. And I wouldn't do it, not even if they locked me back up in the tower.

"He's got a thing for you."

"I don't know what to say," I said. "I guess…I guess you're right." After all, Eugene did know much more about romance than I did. Maybe Prince Lorcan's monopolization of me was his way of expressing his feelings of affection. Ugh. Thank God Eugene didn't express his that way.

"Yes, I am. Oh, bother, that's twice in a year now," he joked. Then a sudden shadow crossed his face and he frowned. "_You_ don't have a thing for him, do you?"

"Oh, yes," I said. "I have this thing where I need to get away from him."

He laughed. "Well, I can't blame you for that. But I meant the other kind."

_Not a chance._ "No. The only romantic thing I have-will ever have- is for you."

He beamed, and as he started to draw me closer to him, my heart started to pound rapidly. I think he might have actually kissed me, right there in the middle of the dance floor, if Prince Lorcan hadn't (sadly!) interrupted.

"Excuse me," Prince Lorcan said. "But I do believe this next dance belongs to me."

_Only in your dreams! _But I curtsied politely, because a Proper Princess, as you might have guessed, never would have said something that unkind. "I'm honored," I said graciously. Even though I wasn't. I shot an apologizing glance to Eugene, and even though I could tell that he didn't want to (and I didn't want him to either), he let go of me.

He seemed like he had a few choice words for Prince Lorcan but "I'll talk to you later, Rapunzel" was all he said. I had a feeling he was fuming underneath though. And if he could, Prince Lorcan might have met "Mr. Fist" if the circumstances hadn't been what they were. Too bad they_ were_ what they were. I know I just said that I didn't want to meet "Mr. Fist" but….well, I take it back. I wished Eugene could…maybe hit Prince Lorcan, because I really wanted him to go away. Besides that, I think I would like him to meet my own "Mr. Fist." Or would that be "Miss Fist?" "Princess Fist?" Now, _there's_ an oxymoron. Lady Gray would have had a coronary if she knew that I had even _thought_ of hitting somebody. I don't think I have to tell you that princesses never hit people. They weren't supposed to get angry either, but I have to confess I did feel a little bit irritated at Prince Lorcan for interrupting Eugene and I (we never had a chance to talk to each other anymore now that Prince Lorcan had decided we should be the new Siamese twins). So I did the only thing I could do, given the situation:

I smiled at him. "How are you enjoying the ball, Prince Lorcan?"

He smiled back but somehow his smile never reached his eyes. Not the way Eugene's did-his eyes started to shine and crinkle adorably around the edges…. "I am enjoying myself. And you, Princess Rapunzel? Are you having a pleasant evening?"

"I am indeed having a nice evening." _At least until you showed up, that is._

"Glad to hear it," he said. We exchanged the other customary remarks until the dance ended. Relieved, I started to take my hand out of his, hoping to search for Eugene. But Prince Lorcan's grip on my hand tightened. To my unending surprised, he led me out of the ballroom unto the balcony where we were completely alone. "Prince Lorcan!" I exclaimed. "What-…"

His eyes were intense on mine. "I apologize, Rapunzel." _Rapunzel?_ Since when did he call me _Rapunzel_? "I couldn't help but take advantage of the opportunity."

"Uh…opportunity? What opportunity?" _What's going on? _

He took my hands in his, and no, it didn't feel like when Eugene held them. When Eugene held my hands, I felt my heart soar. When Prince Lorcan held them, I felt my heart sink. "The opportunity…to ask you to marry me."

My heart almost stopped in surprise. "I'm sorry._ What_?"

"You heard me."

"Why? You don't even know me! Or love me!" _And I will never, ever marry a man who doesn't love me. _"I don't understand why you've all of a sudden decided this."

He pulled my hands toward him and leaned close to my ear. "You're wrong," he whispered. "I decided that I was going to marry you since the moment I saw you. Eighteen years ago." He leaned closer still, his mouth only inches from mine. "Please say yes."

_No, no, no. He will _not _kiss me._ I pulled my hands out of his. "Get back," I hissed. "And don't presume to engage in the intimacy of whispering with me." I sounded as stuffy as Lady Gray, but it just seemed vitally necessary at that moment. Now what had she told me to say when I rejected a marriage proposal? Oh yes: "I am profoundly grateful for your kind request, but I fear that I cannot accept it."

His face was as stricken as if I had slapped him. "Are you saying…_no_?"

Lady Gray had assured me that sentence would have answered the question, but apparently she was wrong. Again. Prince Lorcan didn't seem to have understood me. Perhaps I should be more direct. "I'm terribly sorry, Prince Lorcan, but I cannot marry you. I'm afraid my heart only belongs to one man." _And you're not him._

Any disappointment he had vanished then and his eyes flashed. "And I'm guessing, Rapunzel, that one man is that thief?"

My own temper flared at that. There was nothing that made me angrier than hearing Eugene referred to as "that thief." "Yes. Because 'that thief' happened to risk his life to save me. My heart will always belong to him, until the day it stops beating. And that's _Princess _Rapunzel, if you please."

He set his jaw. "I see," he said icily. "I will not be refused that easily. And I can guarantee you that I won't get up." He spun on his heel and walked away. I must admit I was relieved when he did, though I was slightly stunned at his vehemence. I stood there for a few moments, staring after him. While I did, I thought to myself that I did not expect that a marriage proposal would be so….awful. Grotesque, too. Would I ever forget Prince Lorcan's angry face? I didn't believe I would. I sighed deeply and decided that maybe marriage proposals weren't all that I had imagined they would be. In my imagination, a proposal would end in a kiss, not in a glare. Of course, the man that I had always dreamed would ask was…Eugene, and not Prince Lorcan. I sighed again, and then walked back into the ballroom, hoping I would run into my sweet Eugene. Naturally, I would tell him about the proposal, but I had a feeling I would have to convince him that tonight wasn't a good night for Mr. Fist to meet Prince Lorcan.

I didn't find Eugene, though. I ran into Lord Herbert instead, but I suppose it could have been worse.

"Hello, Princess!" he greeted me with a grin. "And how are you this fine evening?"

I forced a smile. _Fine evening, my foot_. "Very well. Yourself?" No one ever told you that being a princess also meant that you were an actress, did they? But it does. You always have to act polite and happy, even if you want to run to your room and cry. Or scream, depending on the occasion.

"Good, good," he answered. "I must say, I quite enjoyed our conversation the other night."

"Indeed. That is kind of you to say," I said. Now that my night had gone sour, I might as well ask Lord Herbert about whether he felt remorse for his misdeeds or not. It couldn't cause me to feel worse than I already did. "Might I ask you a…personal question?"

"If it pleases you, Princess," he said respectfully.

"Are you…sorry?" I asked.

He frowned in confusion. "Sorry?"

"Yes," I said. "About being a rogue."

"Ah," he said knowingly. "Generally, Princess, I wouldn't answer a question like that. However, I like you. You are a very kind young lady. So to answer your question: I don't consider myself one anymore because I fancy myself to have changed. But I must confess that I am quite sorry about it all."

"And about…Vivian?" I added hesitantly. _Please say yes, please say yes! It will mean so much to Eugene if you do._

His eyes filled with regret."Especially about her."

It was in that instant that I decided that Eugene and his father needed to have a meeting with each other. And I was going to make it happen.


	13. The Work of a Spy

A/N: Just a reminder that Screlandria is a mix of Scotland and Ireland, hence the wonderful Scottish words. At the end of the chapter, I'll have a list of their meanings. Happy reading!

I love reviews! 3

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_**Chapter 12-The Work of a Spy**_

"Necessity is the mother of all invention"

-Plato

"_And I was going to make it happen," Mother said. "Even if I had to do it secretly."_

_Leana's mouth dropped open slightly. "Mother," she exclaimed. "I never thought you were one to…sneak behind Father's back."_

_Mother frowned in thought. "Honestly, Leana, I know exactly what you are saying. But I didn't really think of it as sneaking behind his back. I just wanted to bring them together because they just had so much in common. I can admit now that I probably didn't approach it in the right way."_

"_That's for sure!" Flynn blurted. "I can't think that when Father found out he wasn't mad about it."_

_Leana darted a glance at her father. "You're quite clever, Flynn," he said. Flynn smirked like he was gloating. Leana groaned inwardly. _Brilliant, Father_, she thought. _Just give Flynn a bigger head_. "And I can't tell you if you are right or not because that would ruin part of the story. But I wasn't being completely honest with your mother either, about the whole spying thing."_

_Leana sighed. "This is turning into a real mess, isn't it?"_

_Father laughed. "That's one way to put it! But even if it _was _a mess, I have to say that the spying was so much fun."_

"_Oh yes," Edward said. "Tell us about the spying!"_

_Father laughed again. "All right. Well, before I could begin spying…."_

**Before I could begin spying, I had to perfect my sneaking face. I spent quite a few hours in front of a mirror figuring it out. Why, you ask? Well, this face was complicated! It had to have a certain element of slyness, but not too much. There still had to be a certain casualness too. It should say, "I'm sneaking, but I'm so sneaky you can never be sure that I'm sneaking." I also needed to come up with some kind of cover and I decided that I would assume a Screlandria accent. I was confident that I was clever enough to fake one. Well, okay, I was confident that I could fake one after I had listened intently to some of the Screlandrian nobles and servants. But it wasn't that much different than Corona! I decided that I should probably look a little different too, because obviously people in the castle knew who I was. So I found an old hat and a pair of spectacles that I would wear when I was spying. Thought I have to say I wasn't too happy about wearing the spectacles, because they covered up my charming eyes. But such is life sometimes. **

**Eventually, I was satisfied with my sneaking face and disguise and so I began my job as spy. I had been given a list of potential nobles who might give me some information, but I knew better than to start with them. I knew this mission was important, and I wanted to do my best job for Rapunzel's parents. So for this, I was going to go to the very top. Or maybe the bottom: I was going to start with the servants. Servants **_**always **_**knew everything that was happening. And if the servants were anything like the ones in Corona, they would know plenty. If Prince Lorcan was planning something, you could be sure that they be aware of it. **

**I headed down to where the servants always meet up with each other, and immediately walked into the crowd unembarrassed (hey, I never claimed I was shy). "Excuse me," I said loudly. "I be a new servant in the castle and I was hopin' **_**ye**_** could tell me what ye **_**ken **_**about Prince Lorcan."**

**One man in his thirties came up to me. "Ye said ye were new here?"**

"**Aye, aye," I said. **

**He smiled, and stuck out a hand. "It's delighted I am to meet you. The name's Ian. And you are?"**

**Pleased, I reached out and shook it. I had fooled him! But what should be my alias? I must confess that my brain left me, and I couldn't think of anything. "Ah…'Gene," I said finally. **

"**So, Gene," he said. "Ye said ye wanted to know about Prince Lorcan?"**

"**Yes," I answered. Tell me everything you know, and make it dirty if you can. I already loathed Prince Lorcan after only a week and a half here, and I hoped he was up to something just so I could see him called out for it.**

**He exchanged looks with his fellow servants and lowered his voice. "Well, Gene, I have to tell you to be…careful around him."**

**Excellent. Dirt already. "Is that so?" **

"**Yes," he said. "Prince Lorcan is known for his bad temper."**

"**Really!"**

"**Aye" he said again. "He's **_**verra **_**…**_**frichtsome**_** when something **_**doesna**_** please him, if ye ken my meaning."**

_**Frichtsome**_**? Why couldn't these Screlandrians just speak English, for heaven's sake? It took me a full minute to determine what he had actually said. "I do indeed. Well, I must be careful around him, to be sure."**

"**Good idea, lad." **

**That information was useful, but it wasn't really anything I didn't know. I already knew that Prince Lorcan had an unpleasant disposition because I had already experienced it. Maybe I could find something else if I asked a more indirect question. "Can I ask you something else?" He nodded. "What do you think of the new heir of Corona, the **_**bonny**_** Princess Rapunzel?" This was the perfect question to ask. Rapunzel's parents had told me that relations had been strained between Corona and Screlandria because of her, so maybe if everyone didn't like her here that would tell me something. Though why they wouldn't like Rapunzel was beyond me.**

**He smiled. "Oh, she is indeed the lovely _lass_! Corona is lucky to have her." But then he frowned. "And they should try to keep on to her, if they can."**

**Jackpot! But what did he mean by that? "Is that so?"**

"**Aye."Then his voice lowered again. "I know for a fact that Prince Lorcan would love nothing better than to marry her."**

**Well, I knew **_**that **_**already. Rapunzel had, with a red face, told me that Prince Lorcan proposed to her. I don't think the word furious goes far enough to describe how I felt. She had been forced to stop me somehow from pounding in his face (or in other words, "meeting Mr. Fist"). Actually, what she **_**had**_** done was say sweetly "Eugene, you know, I don't think Prince Lorcan and Mr. Fist would be very good friends. So how about we go for a walk instead of bashing in his face?" And I couldn't say no to her, not when she looked that cute. "Yes?" **

**His eyes darted around nervously. "Can you keep a still tongue in **_**yer**_** head?"**

**That's the second person in the last three weeks who's asked me that. Seriously, what's wrong with people? Don't I look trustworthy? What do they think I am, a spy and a thief or something? Don't answer that. "I **_**dinna**_** tell **_**saicrets." **_

**His voice was so low that I strained to hear him. "Well," he began. "It's been said that when Prince Lorcan first met the infant Princess, eighteen years ago, he said something like she was the most bonny wee **_**bairn **_**he had ever seen. Then Queen Guinevere, her **_**mither**_**, answered by saying maybe the Princess and Prince Lorcan could be married one day. So Prince Lorcan's been thinking she's promised to him." **

"_**Nae**_**! I **_**niver**_** heard such rot." **_**That's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. Though it does explain the whole So-You're-The-One-Who's-Tragically-In-Love-With-Rapunzel thing**_**.**

"**Rot it may be, Gene," he said seriously. "But Prince Lorcan thinks that Princess Rapunzel is his. And he **_**willna**_** let anyone stop him from marrying her. Of course, that's why Prince Lorcan **_**doesna**_** think kindly on the Princess' actual beau." **

**I knew that Prince Lorcan didn't like me, as well. But now we did get to talk about one of my favorite topics: myself. "And what do **_**you **_**think of the Princess' beau?" **_**Isn't he amazing? Why, he's handsome, brave, brilliant, cunning…..**_

**He shook his head. "I **_**couldna**_** say." He couldn't **_**say**_**? What? Hadn't he even **_**seen**_** me at least once? "Haven't you ever seen him?" I asked. **

"**Briefly, when they first arrived," he answered. "He's quite a **_**braw**_** lad, though I hear he was some kind of well-known thief back in Corona called by the alias 'Flynn Rider'. And the only reason he wasn't hanged was because he managed to somehow save the Princess from…." He stopped and looked at me searchingly. "Are you **_**shuir **_**you want to ken all this?"**

**Was he kidding? He was talking about three of my favorite things in the entire world: me, Rapunzel, and me and Rapunzel. "Oh, yes," I said. "I love a wee bit of gossip. Do tell me **_**mair." **_

"**Well," he continued. "I've heard that the Princess used to have seventy feet of bonny blonde hair that magically healed people, and a witch locked her up in a tower because she wanted to keep the power for herself."**

"**Nae!" I exclaimed in mock horror. **

**He nodded in affirmation. "It's true! And the Princess-well, she didna ken she was the princess then-meet up with the thief and he took her to see a floating light festival one **_**nicht**_**. Along the way, naturally, they grew fond of each other. Somehow the Princess returned to the tower, and the witch held her against her will. That is, until the thief came to rescue her, cut off all her hair, and the witch fell out of the tower to her death. After that, they went back to the capital and reunited**_** wi'**_** her mither and **_**faither**_**."**

**Wow. And they pay specific people to be spies. Seriously. Forget that; they don't need them. Servants know**_** everything**_**. He left out the part where I died, of course, but other than that, he nailed it. Impressive. Not even the servants in Corona usually got it that correct. "What a story!" **

**He nodded. "It is that, isn't it? But Prince Lorcan **_**isna**_** a happy man about Eugene-that's his real name, you see, Eugene Fitzherbert- because he can tell that the Princess is verra fond of the lad and she willna want to marry the Prince. So, Prince Lorcan acts **_**hatesome **_**toward Eugene. And knowing the Prince, I**_** wouldna**_** put it past him to somehow get rid of the lad if the Princess refuses him."**

**Suddenly a pound of lead seemed to make its way to my stomach. "Get **_**rid **_**of the lad?" **

"**Aye," he said gravely. "Surely you know what I mean?"**

"**You mean…**_**kill?" **_** I managed to force out. The lead had moved from my stomach to my lungs and I felt like I couldna breathe (Bother, I'm starting to **_**think**_** in Screlandrian). **_**Now I get to fend off another person who wants to run a sword through me. Stupendous.**_** Unconsciously, my hand traveled to my side: the side where Gothel had stabbed me, the side where I still saw a scar every morning. **_**You know**_**, I thought. **_**It'd be real nice to not have to experience that another time. **_**The idea did occur to me that Rapunzel could heal me again if Prince Lorcan tried anything. Was he even aware that her healing powers were still intact?**

"**Possibly," Ian said.**

"**But **_**murder**_**? What would motivate Prince Lorcan to do that?" Besides the fact that he seems like a total sociopath, that is, because he'd have to be one to want to murder me.****I mean, I'd never done anything to**_** him**_**. **

**He looked at me kindly. "Why does anyone murder, lad? Three reasons-power, money, and love. And in the Prince's case, he has all three: If he marries Rapunzel, he gains more power because he would rule both Screlandria and Corona. Besides, he gets much more money from ruling those two different countries as well. And love? Well, I **_**jalouse**_** that Prince Lorcan fancies himself in love with her."**

**Prince Lorcan in love with my Rapunzel? Ha! That's a funny joke. Tell me another one, Ian. "Oh yes," I said scornfully. "He loves her**_** so**_** much!" **

**He frowned in thought. "Maybe it's a slim chance that Prince Lorcan could love her as much as Eugene appears to."**

**Ian was wrong. There was**_** no**_** chance that Prince Lorcan could love her as much I did. I didn't think anybody in the **_**world**_** loved her more than me. I had**_** died**_** for her. I looked incredulously at him. "How can he love her at all if he plans to murder the man who rescued her? It could crush her!" **

"**Aye, that is true," he said. "It would break the Princess' heart, **_**nae doubt. **_**She seems to really love the lad."**

**Rapunzel? Loved me? Until that moment, I hadn't really thought about it that much, but I guessed she did love me. And I loved her too. I almost laughed, because I found it funny that neither of us had actually ever said the words aloud. The closest we had ever come was back in the tower-when I said that she was my new dream and she replied that I was hers. Hmm. I decided that I was going to actually tell her that I loved her soon, but it would have to be the right time. It was too important-**_**she**_** was too important-to just blurt it out. "Yes, indeed." I cleared my throat. "Well, thank you for all your help, but I fear I must be going. A worker's job is niver done, you know."**

**He smiled. "Oh, I ken. '**_**Twas**_** a pleasure meeting you, Gene."**

**I smiled back. "Quite. Thank you for your time!" **

"**Oh, it's no trouble, lad," he said. "I dinna mind answering your questions. Though I do have a question for**_** you**_**."**

**A question for me? "Yes?"**

"**Where do you work in the castle?" he asked politely.**

**Oh, bad, bad, bad. "Em," I stammered. "In the uh…ruling part of the palace." **

**He beamed a smile. "Really? Me too! In fact, I was heading there right now. Will you join me?"**

_**No!**_** "Uh…I don't …I'm not…" **

"**Don't you need to work?" he asked with a frown. **

"**Uh...yes?" I said. And it was true: I did need to work. Just not there.**

"**Well, come with me!" he said. "I can help you if you need it."**

"**Oh, all right," I gave in finally. **_**Maybe I'll find something. Maybe.**_

**And I followed him. **

** XXXXXXXXXX**

**So that's how I found myself in the ruling rooms of Screlandria, with Ian, when the brilliant thought occurred to me to look in Prince Lorcan's. **

"**Uh, Ian," I said. "Part of my job is cleaning Prince Lorcan's room. Canna you show it to me?" **

**His eyes filled with surprise. "Is that so? I can, but it's locked when he's not in there, which he isna. Do you have a key?"**

"**Oh, don't worry," I assured him. "I can get in." Easily. It's not bragging to say that I can open any lock, if it's actually true. **

"**Well, then," he said. "Follow me."**

**We walked down the hallway, until he reached a very thick door, with a gold knob. "Here it is," he said. **

**I smiled at him in thanks. "Wonderful! Thank you verra much. I do believe I can take it from here."**

**He nodded slowly. "I suppose so." He looked a little puzzled, but he walked away, much to my relief. I couldna have him watch me pick a lock, now could I? I stared at the lock, examining it closely to figure out what kind of lock it was. It seemed like a simple doorknob lock to me. I smirked in satisfaction. **_**Come on, Prince Lorcan, challenge me a little.**_** From my pocket, I removed a small pin and jimmied it in the lock, all the while hoping it would work**

**And of course it did. Well, how could it not with an expert lock picker like me? Lock picking is among my innumerable talents. Really, Rapunzel's parents were lucky to have such a capable spy as me. **

**I entered the room cautiously, searching for any kind of guards, which there weren't. I smiled smugly, and then shut the door behind me. Prince Lorcan really needed to improve his security! It shouldn't be that easy for someone to break into his office. I walked over to his desk, and started shuffling through the papers that were stacked neatly on the top: **

**Bill. Bill. Law. Law. Bill. Bill. Law. Law. Law. I started to yawn in boredom. The law had never been something I had really cared about.**

**Letter. Bill. Letter. Letter. Law. Bill. Law. Letter. Letter. Bill…ah! Here's something interesting!**

**It was an invoice to Prince Lorcan for swords and amour. A lot of swords and amour, actually. Why would Prince Lorcan need so much? I felt a little sick then. Could it be that Prince Lorcan was planning some kind of attack on somebody? Like Corona? I frowned as I examined the paper. I was no expert, but it didn't look like quite enough armory for a war, but maybe enough for a single attack. Whatever it was, I decided it was worth noting, so I took out a piece of paper and a pen from my pocket and quickly scribbled down the numbers. I decided to look in the drawers of Prince Lorcan's desk (which were locked but I was sure I could pick**_** those**_** too), when I heard some shuffling outside the door, and decided that was best left for another day. No, I wasn't scared. Don't be silly. I just decided that I should go see Rapunzel instead of fiddling around with Prince Lorcan's papers some more. **

**So I carefully restacked the papers in the same way that I had found them, locked the door behind me, and head for my room. And hopefully Rapunzel. **

** XXXXXXXXXX**

**When I reached my room, I quickly took of my spectacles and hat, and then examined myself in the mirror. Yes, I decided. I did look much better without them, just as I thought I would. Oh well. There wasn't a lot I could do about it while I was spying. Sometimes you just have to sacrifice…. And for this mission, I supposed it would be my looks. **

**Suddenly I heard a knock at my door. "Yes?" I called. **

"**Eugene?"**

**To my profound delight, it was Rapunzel. I quickly walked over to the door and opened it with a smile. "Rapunzel! How are you?"**

**She smiled back. "Good….Would you like to go for a walk before dinner?"**

"**I couldn't think of anything better."**

**We walked out into the garden in relative silence, and I darted glances at Rapunzel. It wasn't like her to be so quiet. Or nervous. She kept wringing her hands, and I almost took them in mine just to keep her from doing it. We reached a bench and she sat down with a sigh. I did too, and decided it was time to break the silence.**

"**Rapunzel, was your day…okay?" I asked. **

**She smiled at me, but it didn't reach her eyes like it normally did. "Yes….And yours?"**

"**It's better now that I'm with you," I said. She blushed adorably, just like I knew she would. "Did you do anything special today?" **

"**Uh…**_**No,"**_** she answered. "Not really. I talked to Catherine for a while."**

"**And what did Catherine say?" Catherine was Rapunzel's best friend here, and I hoped they had a good time together.**

"**Well, we talked about Philip for a while. Catherine told me that he told her when I healed him it didn't even leave a scar, "she said. **

"**Really!" I said. "That's pretty impressive." It was, but I couldn't say I was too surprised. When she had healed my hand, there hadn't even been a mark left afterward. The more surprising thing was that her tears could still heal. I started to drift off in my own thoughts then- like why was Rapunzel acting strange. Had Prince Lorcan tried something again? If he had, I don't think she would be able to convince me not to stick my fist in his face.**

"**Yes…" she said, and then her eyes clouded over. "Eugene…."**

**Thinking about Prince Lorcan made me think of Prince Lorcan's office. And the invoice. There was no way he would need all of that armor if he wasn't planning something…. "Hmmm?" I said absently. **

"**Did **_**it**_** leave a scar?"**

**Instantly, she regained my attention again. By_ it_, I assumed she meant Gothel's dagger. "Uh…yes."**

**Her cheeks reddened slightly. "Can I…can I see?"**

**She wanted to see the scar? The red five inch scar that still hurt sometimes when I thought about how I had received it? "Oh, I suppose so. It's not particularly pretty though, Rapunzel."**

"**I know," she said gravely. "I just…I just need to see."**

**I sighed. I didn't really want to, but I started unbuttoning my vest and pulled it off. "Here, hold this will you?" Obligingly, she took it and carefully folded it in her lap. I pushed up my shirt slightly so she could see. Her eyes immediately widened, and grew sad. I hated seeing Rapunzel sad. So I bumbled along, trying to make some kind of joke. "Lovely, isn't it? I think I should name it something 'cause I'm just so fond of it. Maybe Scarry would be good. Or Dag, you know, for dagger." I faked a laugh. "Ha ha?" I watched her face as she looked at it.  
**

**Her breath caught slightly and she tentatively reached her fingers out to touch it. Her eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Eugene, I'm so sorry."**

**Immediately, I grew serious. "Why?"**

**She blinked in surprise. "Well…aren't…..aren't you?"**

"**No," I said firmly. "I'm **_**not**_** sorry. I'd do it again in a heartbeat." There was no chance I would ever let her live a life of bondage, to **_**anyone -**_**not just Gothel-without trying to prevent it. I'd do anything to keep her free and happy. Even die. Hopefully, I wouldn't have to another time, but if necessary I would. **

**A tear trickled down her cheek. "Why?" **

**I reached out my hand and brushed away her tear with my thumb. "**_**Why?**_** Because you're my sweet Rapunzel and I…." **_**I love you.**_** Those three words wouldn't come, somehow. I placed my hands gently on the sides of her face. "You're my dream, remember?"**

**She looked deeply into my eyes. "Yes, I remember," she whispered. "And you're mine."**

**I smiled, knowing that there was only one thing to do: I kissed her. And she very sweetly kissed me back, her hands going behind my neck. Once we finished, she buried her head in my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her. I sighed contentedly. Was there anything I loved better than having her in my arms? **

**To my intense displeasure, she pulled away to look in my eyes. "Eugene," she said. "Can I ask you to do something for me?"**

**I smiled smugly. "Oh yes." Then I leaned in close to kiss her again. **

"**Not that," she said with a shake of her head. "I was….hoping you'd meet with someone for me."**

**I frowned in thought. "Meet with someone? I suppose. Who? When?" Was there anything I _wouldn't _do for her?**

"**The who…is a surprise," she said. "The when…is in two days at three right here."**

**A surprise…_who_? Oh, the fun just kills me. "Uh…."**

**She batted her eyelashes adorably. "Please, Eugene?"**

**I sighed, knowing that I would give in. "Oh, fine." **

**She beamed a smile, and I felt my stomach turn over. "Oh good!" Then she jumped up and handed my vest. "Well, it's time for dinner! I got to go get ready. You?"**

**I stood up as I re-buttoned it. "I guess so." We began walking to the castle, and I decided to show Rapunzel my sneaking face. Surely she'd be impressed. "Hey, Rapunzel! Look!"**

"**At what?" she said. Then she frowned. "Uh, Eugene?"**

"**Yes?"**

"**Is there something wrong?" she asked kindly.**

"**Wrong?" Isn't my face stupendous? Hadn't I mastered the art of the sneaking face? Isn't it awesome? Maybe she just didn't understand the magnificence of my face.**

"**Yes. Your face looks like you swallowed a fly."**

**Maybe not.**

** XXXXXXXXXXX**

**The dinner went as well as could be expected, considering I had to watch Rapunzel talk to my father and Prince Lorcan the entire time. The next day was fun too, with the surprise meeting to look forward to. Or not. Actually, I spent most of both days dreading it, and putted off getting for it as long as possible. Well, come on. I had to look my best, even if I didn't know who I was meeting. I have a reputation to keep up, you know. **

**Anyway, I was just about to leave when I heard a knock on my door. "Rapunzel," I called. "I'm ready!" **

**I went to open it. Unexpectedly, it wasn't Rapunzel at the door, but Thomas Howard, Corona's diplomat. "Uh…can I help you?"**

**He smiled slightly. "Actually yes. Can I come in?"**

**I opened the door wider. "Sure. My room is your room," I joked. **

"**Thank you," he said, and then spoke softly in my ear. "Close the door."**

**Obligingly, I closed the door and pulled up a chair for Thomas Howard. "So what can I help you with?"**

"**Well," he began. "The king and queen told me that you're doing some work for them. And I'm your contact. So, do you have anything to tell me?"**

**I glanced at the clock- five to three. "I do, but I have somewhere I need to be right now. I'm meeting Rapunzel and someone else at three."**

**I didn't think that Thomas Howard was particularly malicious but he almost looked that way then. "Oh, and you know who that someone else is, don't you?" **

"**Actually I don't," I answered. "But I have a feeling you're going to tell me, aren't you?"**

"**Yes," he said. "It's Lord Herbert Seymour. Who I think is your father, right?"**

**My eyes widened in shock. "**_**What**_**?" That's who Rapunzel wanted me to meet? My**_** father**_**? But she knew how much I hated him! How could she have done that? **

"**Indeed," he said. "So I don't think you will really be too sad to miss that, will you?" **

"**No, indeed," I stammered. "You're quite right." For once, I felt quite…**_**.angry**_** at Rapunzel for sneaking behind my back like that, but I forced it down. There would be time to talk with her later. It was enough to handle Lord Howard. "So I suppose you want me to tell you what I know?"**

**He nodded. "Yes, please." **

**I walked over to one board near my bed, and pushed my foot down on it. Like I wanted, it slide open and I took out the papers I had there. "Right. Well, Mr. Howard-…"**

"**Lord Howard," he corrected. **

"**Excuse me. **_**Lord**_** Howard," I said. "I don't know too much so far. But I do know that Prince Lorcan has a major temper, would love nothing better than to get rid of me and marry my girl."**

"**You mean the Princess, I presume," he said. "She's not your girl, you know."**

**I ignored that remark. She **_**was**_** my girl, no matter what the stuffy nobles said. "I'm sorry, Lord Howard. Did you hear what I said? The Prince might be plotting to kill me! Doesn't that matter?"**

"**Certainly," he answered. "But that's not exactly the kind of information we need to know. Isn't there anything else that you can tell me?"**

**Scornfully, I thought I'd like Mr. Fist to meet Lord Howard too. As if my murder wasn't important! "Yes," I said sullenly. "Here." I gave him the paper that I scribbled down the numbers of armor. "I found an invoice for all this armor in Prince Lorcan's office. It seems to me that it's a little too much to be normal."**

**He frowned thoughtfully. "Indeed. It does seem like that. But it's not enough for a war, just one minor attack."**

"**Oh," I said sarcastically. "Only one **_**minor **_**attack! Stupendous." **

**His frown deepened. "But you don't know what this attack is or was for, do you?" **

"**No," I said. "I don't. But there is always the possibility it could be on Corona."**

**"Yes," he said. "Well, thank you for what you've done so far. If you find anything else, do tell me immediately." He stood up and head for the door. **

"**Oh, I will," I assured him. _Even if I don't like talking to you_. "Before you leave, can I ask you something?" **

**He sighed heavily. "I suppose."**

"**How did you know who I was supposed to meet today?" I asked. **

**He looked at me in surprise. "Eugene. You know you're not the only spy we have, don't you?" Then he left the room. **

**Well, that explained that. I wonder who the other spy he was talking about was. Curiosity almost overwhelmed me, but then I remembered what he had said about Rapunzel and Lord Hebert. I glanced at the clock again. Three-thirty. If I wanted to, I could still make the meeting. That is, if I wanted to, which I didn't. I decided instead of going, I would go to the stables and talk with Philip. That was much more fun than talking to my scum of a father. **

**And more fun than confronting Rapunzel about what she did. **

* * *

Scottish to English-

Aye-yes

Bairn-baby

Bonny-pretty, beautiful

Braw-fine, handsome

Couldna-could not/couldn't

Dinna-do not/don't

Doesna-does not/doesn't

Faither-father

Frichtsome-fearsome

Hatesome-hateful

Isna-is not/isn't

Jalouse-imagine, suspect, guess

Ken-know

Mair-more

Mither-mother

Nae-no

Nae doubt-no doubt

Nicht-night

Niver-never

Saicrets-secrets

Shuir-sure

'Twas-It was

Verra-very

Wi'-with

Willna-will not/won't

Wouldna-would not/wouldn't

Ye-you

Yer-your


	14. A Quarrel

A/N: So, in case you couldn't tell from the title of this chapter, both Rapunzel and Eugene get M-A-D in this chapter. At each other.

Please don't leave me comments like "OMG you can't have them fight!", because for one, it's fairly important to my plot and two, even the most compatible of couples fight sometimes. From my experience in life, both my parents and my sister/brother (in law) are very in love and they fight. So there you go-couples fight. And I don't think I'm straying too far from reality in the things that I chose them to fight about.

Besides that, the fun part of writing them fight is writing them make up. :)

As always, thank you for reading/reviewing.

-FL 6

* * *

_**Chapter 13-A Quarrel**_

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."

-From Robert Burns' poem _To a Mouse_

"Afterwards the universe will explode for your pleasure."

-Douglas Adams

Kel: He says he's changed.  
Neal: I suppose he could have changed, I myself have noticed my growing resemblance to a daffodil.  
-from_ Page_ by Tamora Pierce

_Leana cringed. Her father was _scary _when he was mad. "Oh, I'm not sure I want to hear this," she muttered fearfully._

_Her parents exchanged glances. "Well, you're right to think it wasn't pretty," Father admitted._

_Mother frowned thoughtfully. "That's one way to put it. Though it was Eugene who did most of the yelling."_

_He winced. "Unfortunately, she is right about that. I _was_ quite hard on her. Have I told you lately that I'm sorry about that fight?"_

_She looked kindly at him. "Oh, sweet, you don't need to. I know you are."_

_He beamed a smile at her. _"You're_ the sweet one, Rapunzel." Then he noticed Flynn's annoyed look and cleared his throat. "Well, do you want to tell this part…or should I?"_

_Mother seemed to think for a moment. "I guess….I guess I will."_

"_Don't be too hard on me," he said. "Please."_

"_I'll try," she joked. "Anyway…"_

I know Eugene just said that he thought I was acting a little bit funny, but I have to say that I think he was acting funnier than I was. Oh, it's not like it was completely obvious or anything, but I knew Eugene well enough by then to know when he was keeping something from me. And he was now. It was subtle things that made me concerned. For instance, I never saw him anymore. Granted, part of that was Prince Lorcan's fault, because he hadn't given up on wooing me, but even when I wasn't with him, Eugene was never around. I would go by his room some days, and he wouldn't be there for God knows what reason. It wasn't as if he had a lot of buddies here. Beyond that, I saw him look concerned about something occasionally over the past few days and he never would tell me why. Furthermore, sometimes I would ask him to meet me somewhere and either he would beg off, or he would show up late and he never would tell me why about that either.

So I guess you could say that the tension had been building since the moment my parents had told him to spy and I had meet his father, and the fight was inevitable. But who wants to say that a fight with their love is inevitable? I've fought with Eugene more than once over the years, like most other couples, and I would hate to say that there was no chance we could have avoided it. Regardless, we were still on the brink of our worst fight ever.

But let's back up slightly to the fated meeting with Lord Herbert. I went to the garden early to figure out what I was going to say to Eugene. I had to decide on something because I could guarantee he wouldn't be happy about seeing his father. Lord Herbert? I wasn't actually too worried about him. As completely odd as this sounds, I sort of liked him. I know! Weird, isn't it? Eugene couldn't hate Lord Herbert more, and I liked him. Hilarious. But I did. He reminded me of Eugene so much in his mannerisms, the way he talked, essentially everything. They could even irritate me the same way!

And because of this, I wanted them to know each other. So I set up the meeting, the meeting that, if my clock was correct, would start right around now.

"Princess?"

I stood up with a smile. "Lord Hebert! Thank you so much for coming!"

He smiled back. "It's my pleasure, Princess, though I confess I am quite eager to know with whom I'm going to meet."

"Oh?" I asked innocently. "I didn't tell you?"

"No," he answered. "Would you like to tell me before whoever it is shows up?"

I sighed, knowing that it was time to tell the truth. I wasn't concerned about his reaction. Well, not _that _much, anyway. "Well, sir, the person I asked to come is….your son."

His eyes widened. "My _what_?"

"Yes," I said. Was there any good way to say this? Most likely there wasn't. Look at Eugene's reaction when I had told him that his father was coming to the ball. I tried my best to be tactful about it, and he still was very upset "You know Eugene, my…..beau?" I said carefully.

He nodded. "Yes, Princess. But I don't see-…."

"His full name is Eugene Fitzherbert," I said, bracing myself for his reaction. Lord Hebert was no one's fool, and I was sure he would notice the Herbert part of his last name.

Slowly, the realization dawned on his features. "Fitz_herbert_? As in the son of-…"

"Indeed," I said. "As in _your_ son, and Vivian."

He ran his hand through his hair ruefully. If the circumstances were different, I might have smiled. Eugene did it the exact same way. "I see."

"Do you?" I asked, searching his eyes. "Do you really?"

He nodded slightly. "Yes," he answered. "And it was…._ kind_ of you to try to reunite us."

I smiled faintly. Lord Herbert was being….rather understanding and kind about this whole thing. I could only hope that Eugene would react with the same grace. I wondered briefly if he remembered him when he was little. "Do you…remember him when he was a boy?"

He smiled sadly. "Quite honestly, Princess, I didn't….I didn't pay much attention to him. I knew of his existence but I didn't really act like I did."

That would explain part of Eugene's animosity. I couldn't imagine my mother or father not caring about me. Even…even Gothel had cared about me a little, just in a completely schizophrenic manic-depressive and obsessive way. But still. She cared. Poor Eugene had always thought his father didn't care at all. "I see. Did you ever feel….sorry about that?"

"Of course," he said. "I feel sorry about a lot of things in my past."

"Like?" I asked politely.

"Like my being such a womanizer," he answered. "Like ignoring Eugene and his mother. Like not ever knowing what happened to him after his mother died. You know, you asked if I remembered him. I don't a lot, but I do remember him a little."

"Really?" I asked eagerly. "What was he like?" I loved nothing better than hearing about Eugene when he was a little boy.

His smile almost reached his eyes. "Much like his mother. Willful. Spirited. They had so much fun together, I can tell you that. Practically inseparable, really."

I couldn't help a laugh. "Is that so? I find that kind of funny actually. I never thought of him as a….mama's boy."

"He was," he said. "But you have to remember that she….she was only eighteen when she had him. Still very young. She was a good mother, but in some senses she was like a playmate or a big sister. He was devastated when she died, I know that for certain."

Eighteen was a little young to have a child._ I_ was eighteen and I couldn't imagine having one. I did want children one day though, especially if it would be a little boy or girl when Eugene's eyes and hair…. "Consumption, right?"

His eyes filled with surprise. "How did you know?"

"Oh, he told me about her. And I…" I smiled ruefully. "I read a letter that she wrote to him back in Corona. That's how I learned about you, actually."

"So he didn't outright tell you?" he said.

"No," I admitted. "He didn't know _I_ knew until a couple weeks ago."

"Is that so? And did you tell him?" he asked.

I hesitated for a moment. "Well...I had to," I said. "Because you were coming to my ball. And I figured he should be aware beforehand." I hesitated briefly, remembering Eugene's reaction. The word hostile quickly came to mind to describe it. "He….he doesn't really like you, you know."

His eyes crinkled in amusement. "That's your polite way of saying that he _loathes_ me, isn't it?"

I smiled sheepishly. "Well….sort of. I think he would love to put something in your face. Like his fist."

He barked a laugh. "That sounds like him."

"Really?" _How did Lord Hebert know?_

"Oh yes," he said. "He had quite a temper. I can remember a time where_ I_ was the object of his tongue-lashing."

"Oh, I bet that wasn't fun," I said. "Eugene strikes me as someone who would be…very intimidating when he's mad." I had never seen Eugene angry ever, but I could picture it. And I was scared just thinking about it.

"Indeed," he said. Then he frowned. "Princess, can I ask you a question?"

"Certainly."

"If Eugene doesn't like me as much as you say," Lord Hebert asked cautiously. "Then why did you ask him to meet me?"

_Like Eugene, Lord Herbert doesn't miss anything, does he?_ My cheeks flushed. "I….sort of….I sort of didn't tell him."

He nodded knowingly. "Ah. Well, if I may Princess, don't be surprised if you receive a tongue-lashing yourself."

"Oh, don't worry, Lord Herbert," I assured him. "I don't think…I don't think Eugene could be mad at me. Our relationship is strong that way."

He nodded again. "Princess, I believe you. But even people with strong relationships fight sometimes. So don't be surprised when it happens."

Eugene…angry with me? I couldn't even picture it. "Thank you for your advice," I said politely. _But I believe you're wrong._

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lord Herbert and I talked for at least a half an hour longer, waiting for Eugene. But eventually he said he had to go, and I apologized profusely about Eugene's absence. He only smiled knowingly and told me to remember what he had said. I waited for him at least a half an hour longer, just in case he came. I sat there thoughtfully, feeling sorry that the meeting hadn't worked like I had wished.

But when Eugene never showed, I went back into the castle, and decided to see if he would come to the sitting room typically designated for those of us from Corona. Occasionally, we meet each other there before dinner. It was possible that he would come, though I didn't really expect he would show up until closer to dinner. To my intense surprise, the feelings of disappointment that he hadn't shown turned into irritation. How could he blow me off like that? He had said he would be there!

And so it was that at six o'clock, when he entered the room, I was waiting for him, my arms crossed. Or as it can be more aptly called, my attack posture. "So," I said. "Missed you today."

"Missed me?" he asked with a smirk. "Well, of course you did. I'm just that kind of guy."

In truth, he was that kind of guy, but that wasn't the point. "Not that kind of missing," I said. "I mean missed as in why didn't you show."

His eyes filled with confusion, but I couldn't tell if it was real or fake. I am dearly fond of him, but that doesn't mean that he didn't have behaviors that annoyed me sometimes. Like his acting. It made it very hard for me to tell if he was being honest with me or not. "Show?"

"You know," I said. "At the _meeting._"

"Meeting?" Was he purposefully acting like he didn't know what I was talking about?

"_Yes,"_ I said. "You know, the one at three in the garden. The one you promised that you'd come to."

His eyes twitched with…_.something_ then. Annoyance? Irritation? Regret? "Ah. I'm sorry," he said brusquely. "Something came up and I couldn't make it."

"Something….came up," I repeated. Did he honestly expect me to believe that? I was no one's fool and I could tell when he was hiding something from me (which he was now).

"Right," he said. "So I had to be somewhere else."

"Somewhere…else," I repeated. Could he be any terser? I found myself suddenly hating the words something and somewhere. They were the kind of words that said absolutely nothing. "Mind telling me where that somewhere else was?" I doubted that he would, but I couldn't resist asking.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I can't."

"Really," I said flatly. "So what were you doing?'

"Oh, just some things," he said, almost airily.

His casualness almost made me more irritated. "Oh, I see," I said. "_Things. _Things that you can't tell me about either." You know something? Things was another word that told me absolutely nothing.

"Right," he said. "I have a…job to do."

Eugene had a job? This was the first I had heard about _that_. "And I guess you have some reason why you can't trust me enough to tell me what that job is?" Who had asked him to do a job? Could it have been my parents? Was that the something that they wouldn't tell me? Nobody tells me anything anymore!

His eyes twitched again. "Only for the same reason that you can't seem to trust me enough to realize that if I could tell you I would," he said defensively.

Why couldn't he just tell me the truth? "I just want you to be honest with me!" I cried.

"I'm being as honest as I can!" he said, exasperated. "There's a…there's a lot at stake for Corona right now."

"And that 'a lot at stake' I'm guessing caused you to miss the meeting?" I asked tartly.

"_Yes_," he said. "I had something to attend to."

"And where that something was you _don't _want to tell me." I emphasized the _don't._

Was that _distress _I saw in his eyes? "I told you before," he said. "I_ can't _tell you where I was."

"You mean you _won't_," I said.

"No, I mean I _can't_."

My slight irritation turned into great annoyance. Who was this curt man who looked like Eugene? "Forgive me if I don't entirely believe you," I said. A stab of pain pierced my heart. "What kind of relationship do we have, anyway, if you can't be upfront with me?" I asked mournfully.

Up until this point, he had almost looked…grieved, but now that vanished and he looked aggravated. He crossed his arms across his chest, almost imitating my own posture. I guess it was his turn to go on the attack. "Oh, right," he said sarcastically. "The way you were so upfront with me about who I was supposed to meet today. What, was the fact that I was supposed to meet _my father_ so insignificant that you decided you didn't need to mention it?"

_He _knew_?_ "How did you…" I began.

He laughed, but it was a laugh without amusement. "Oh come on, Rapunzel," he said. "I'm not stupid. I had some idea of what you were up to, just by the way you acted. Just admit it. You've been hoping for reconciliation between my father and me since the moment you meet him. Knowing you, that's not a surprise. But what _is_ a surprise to me is how sneaky you've been about it."

I flushed. The last time he had accused me of being sneaky was wrong, but this? Well…let's just say there was a little more merit to it. "I wasn't necessarily_ trying_ to be sneaky. I didn't think you would go if I told the truth. I just wish you could just talk to each other. He says…"

"Let me guess," he interrupted. "He says he's changed. He says that he regrets everything he did. He says he wishes he had never acted the way." He listed those completely robotic.

"Well, yes," I said. "He told me that he always wanted to know what had happened to you after your mother died. Because he really had…cared about her."

His jaw set angrily. "I see. And while he was telling you all that, did he also mention that I wasn't the only bastard he had fathered? That he never acknowledged my mother after that? Or me either? Did he mention how my mother died in the first place?"

I cringed from hearing him refer to himself as a bastard. It was just a horrible word. Degrading, too. Like he didn't matter to anyone. And he did. "No."

"I didn't think so," he said sourly. "You see, when she got sick, I went to see him. I asked him to please send for a doctor because she was so ill. I begged, even. And do you know what he said?"

"No," I whispered, almost afraid to hear what would happen next.

"He said no. He said that a doctor would cost too much, and he couldn't spare the money. He basically let her die!" As he ranted, he started to pace the room.

His father let her die? Remorse filled me. What had I been _thinking_? "I'm so-..."

His eyes flashed angrily. "I knew he was lying to me. He had plenty of gold; he just didn't want to spend it on a poor servant. Because he's such a piece of scum and a complete liar. So you have to forgive me if I don't believe a word that he's telling you now."

"I didn't-…"

"It makes me furious to think that he actually told you that he did! And you thought I actually would want to see him!"

"I-…"

Suddenly his eyes lost any emotion whatsoever. I knew I was in trouble, because the last time his face had been like that was the night of the floating lights. And look what had happened then. "But you know the thing that gets me the most? It's how quickly you believed everything he said. I never thought you could be that easily fooled." If I didn't know him better, I would say he was almost sneering now. Oh, not in his expression. His inflection. "But maybe that happens when your best friend was a frog and you lived in a tower most of your life. You don't know when somebody's lying to you."

_Oh no, he didn't._ Up until that point I had taken everything he said, and I had to admit three things. One, that Lord Hebert was right that Eugene was angry with me. Two, that my idea about reuniting them wasn't the best. Three, I did feel quiet sorry for Eugene, and I could understand why he was so upset. But he couldn't insult my intelligence and get away with it. Or my life in the tower. Or Pascal. My own temper flared. "I can, too! I can tell you that he wasn't lying. He looked like….like he was sorry. You just don't know him the way I do."

"Rapunzel," he snapped. "You might think you do, but you know nothing about people, nothing. Especially about someone like _my_ father."

_Is that so? Who was it that calmed the thugs down in The Snuggly Duckling? Or convinced the guards that I was the lost princess? Yeah. That would be me, not you._ My cheeks flushed angrily. "I know more than you think. Enough to know that you're acting like a condescending brute. And I'm not putting up with it anymore." Then, without thinking, I turned on my heel.

And I walked out.

* * *

So there's their fight. Hopefully they weren't too out of character :) Both Rapunzel and Eugene strike me as the type of people who don't get mad that often, but when they do... well, watch out. I'm basing this observation when (in the movie) Rapunzel confronts Mother Gothel and Eugene confronts the Stabbington brothers. Obviously, I don't get that disturbed watching Rapunzel yell at Gothel because I'd only been waiting for it the entire movie, but I don't know about you, but a mad Eugene is freakin' SCARY. It's no wonder to me that they quickly gave him the info he wanted.


	15. Worst and Best of Times

AN: So lots and lots of fun fluff in this chapter! Fluff is so much more fun to write than fights, that's for sure. There's also a lot of dialogue too, and I hope that's ok. :)

You know what's awesome? I now have my own Rapunzel doll! she's so cute; i can't help but play with her and brush her hair. Seriously. And i'm in college! I'm convinced that I'm secretly a five year old in a pink dress still. haha

Happy reading! And leave a review if you want. I love hearing from you!

* * *

_**Chapter 14**__**- The Worst and Best of Times**_

"I love you not only for what you are,  
But for what I am when I'm with you."  
**Elizabeth Barrett Browning**

Tears pricking my eyes, I fled down the hallway toward the sanctuary of my room. To my unending relief, no one was there. I threw myself on my bed, sobbing into my pillow, my heart sore from what had just happened. We had _never _argued like that, never. Actually, I don't think we had ever argued at all. Except for the spats with the frying pan back in the tower. But I don't count those, because we weren't together yet.

Soon, I heard a knock on my door and I knew exactly who it was. I also knew I wasn't going to answer it either, but that wouldn't keep him from coming in anyway.

I heard the door open softly and footsteps coming near me. "Rapunzel?"

I stopped crying and I further buried my head in my pillow because I really didn't want to talk to him. The bed sagged as he sat on it, and I felt a hand on my shoulder. For once, instead of melting, I tensed up under his touch. He must have noticed, because he moved his hand away. "Rapunzel," he said. "Please. Can we talk about this?"

I don't consider myself to be particularly immature, but I must confess that I acted that way then. A princes or an adult would have sat up and said yes, let's talk, but I didn't. Yes, I know I wasn't really acting like myself, but you have to understand the immense amount of pressure we were both under, especially me. I had to act like a princess almost twenty-four/seven and I have to say I just didn't want to in that moment. I didn't want to do the responsible thing. So I said nothing.

An agonizing silence filled the room.

Finally I heard him sigh. "Okay, Rapunzel, I get it," he said. "You don't want to talk yet. That's all right; I can wait until you do." And then he got up and sat in one of the chairs in my room.

I continued to bury my head in my pillow, and I must admit that I cried more, but as softly as I could so he wouldn't hear me. I can bet you he did, but he didn't do anything which really shows how much self-restraint he can have when he wants to. I felt tears continued to trickle down my cheeks until I succumbed to the blissful comfort of sleep. And then I felt nothing at all.

XXXXXXXXXXX

When I woke up, it was dark. For a minute, I didn't remember what had happened but that ended the second I felt the dampness of my pillow. Then the realization of the fight came back to me, along with the knowledge that somebody had nestled my blankets around me. _Eugene. _ I tried to sleep, but I just couldn't. I turned over on my back, and I stared up at the ceiling, snippets of our argument echoing in my head. I realized that even though he shouldn't have talked to me that way, I shouldn't have snuck behind his back to make him meet with his father either. And I further realized that I couldn't sleep, not until we had made up. I couldn't wait one more minute to say I was sorry.

I left my room, tip-toeing down the hallway until I reached his room. I decided that he would most likely be asleep, considering how late it was. So I opened the door without knocking and crept to the bed. Just as I thought, he was asleep and snoring softly. I sat quietly on his bed, and gently shook his shoulder. "Eugene," I whispered. "Eugene, wake up." He turned on his side to face me and cracked one eye open. "Rapunzel?" he said sleepily. "What's the matter? Can't you sleep?"

"No," I answered. "I can't. I can't…wait until the morning to…apologize."

He sat all the way up now and gently took my hands in his own. "Oh, Rapunzel," he said. "_I'm_ the one who should be apologizing, not you. I should have never talked to you like that. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Yes, if you forgive me," I said. And I meant it too. If I cared about him as much as I said I did, I had to forgive him. I _wanted_ too as well. I hate having any sort of conflict between the two of us.

His eyes were soft. "Of course." He drew me closer to him, and gently caressed my cheek. My heart sped up because I had a happy feeling I knew what he was going to do:

He kissed me. And it was probably the nicest one I had ever had. After the kiss, his arms encircled me, and I thought blissfully that reconciliation made up for the awful fight. Well, almost anyway. That fight had been pretty ugly. I sighed in contentment as his lips brushed my hair. "I love you," he whispered in my ear.

My heart began to thump, no _pound,_ in happiness. He loved me! Of course, I knew that he did. He had shown that he did back in the tower and every day I could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice. But I think that I had underestimated my need to actually hear the words and the assurance that it gave me. I drew slightly away from him, and my mouth opened to say it back. My mouth shut. And opened again. No words came out, and I flushed.

He smiled. "Don't feel bad, Rapunzel. As they would say here," and his voice changed to a bad imitation of a Screlandrian brogue. "Dinna fash yourself. I ken ye do, lass."

I couldn't help but smile. His accent was terrible!

He beamed. "That good huh?"

"No! It's awful!" I told him.

He faked a pout. "No really? And here I was hoping I would be adopted as an honorary Screlandrian strictly based on my accent. Darn."

I laughed heartily, and he joined me. But he soon stopped and smiled at me. "But more seriously, Rapunzel," he said. "Don't worry. I know you'll say it when you're ready."

"Thank you," I said. I sighed heavily. As much as I enjoyed 'kissing and making up', it would be wise to talk about the fight. Hopefully, we wouldn't start fighting about the fight. "Eugene?"

He put his arms around me again, and buried his head on my hair. "Hmm?"

"Don't you….don't you think we should talk about what we…" I hesitated over which word to use. Fought and quarreled seemed so strong. "…disagreed about?"

He pulled away slightly. "I…I guess so," he said slowly as he light one of the candles on the table next to us.

But I could tell that he didn't really by the expression in his eyes. He'd probably rather kiss me instead. Well, I'd prefer that too, but it couldn't happen right now. "Good," I said. "So do you want to tell me why you _really _didn't show up today?" _Because what you told me before doesn't cut it._

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I _did_ tell you why I didn't show up."

"You said that something came up."_ I told you then that I didn't believe you._ _And I don't believe you now._

"Right," he said.

"And you can't tell me what that something is."

"Right again."

"And you can't tell me where that something was."

He grinned. "Wow, you're quick. You know something? You're almost….almost as smart as me!"

I rolled my eyes. Almost as smart as him, my foot. I was just as smart as he was, and he knew it. "Eugene. Be serious. Is there truly no way you can tell me?"

He took my hands in his again and stared at them for a moment .Then he looked at me, his eyes serious. "Rapunzel, you have to believe me when I say if I could tell you I would."

"I…I do believe you…" I began. And I _did_ believe him. Had he ever lied to me?

He grinned, pleased. "Well, then…" Then he started to lean in closer and I put my hand out to stop him. The conversation wasn't over yet. "…That doesn't mean that I don't wish that you could tell me. This whole job doesn't have anything to do with my parents, does it?"

His expression went blank and he coughed. "Uh, no. Of course not."

It did. His very hesitation told me that. So did his vacant expression. "I see." You know something funny? I can tell that he prides himself on being a good actor, but I can totally see through it most of the time. Maybe it's because I know him so well. And love him so well.

He coughed again. "Right, my turn now," he said. "Do you want to tell me what you were thinking asking me to meet with my father?"

"I…I was thinking that he didn't seem as bad as you said. I was thinking that he's a lot like you so it would be nice if you both talked to each other," I answered cautiously. Somehow, even though it made perfect sense to me, I didn't really think it would to him.

"Ugh," he said with a frown. "Are you serious? I'm really like him?"

That wasn't really what I expected him to ask. "Not entirely," I said. "But you do have some similar character traits and mannerisms."

"Like?" he asked.

"Like you both run you hand through your hair when you're upset or thinking about something. Like you both are very witty. Like your charm, and your eyes." I smiled to myself. "You even…you even both have the same smolder face."

His face twisted into a grimace. "Really? I got that from him?"

"Yes," I said. "He even called it the "Smolder" too because he was so 'attractive he smoldered.' Isn't that funny?"

"No." His voice was flat. "It's creepy."

"In what way?" I asked.

"In the creepy way because that's exactly why I called it that," he said.

I couldn't help a laugh. "Is that so?" He nodded with a sigh. "Eugene….Can I ask you something?"

"No," he answered shortly. I shot him a confused look. _You don't even know what I was going to say!_ "You're going to ask if I'll reconsider meeting with my father. And no. I won't."

I wasn't the kind of girl who gave up easily, especially on something I felt so strongly about. I put on my best pouty face. "You don't have to become best friends or anything. Just talk to him. Please? "

He scowled. "No."

"Please? For me?" I batted my eyelashes playfully.

"No_._"

I sighed. There was really only one option left to me that I could think of. And even if it didn't work, I was sure that he would stop scowling at least. "Okay, I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice. Here comes the smolder." Then I imitated his face as best as I could, watching his reaction carefully.

One side of his lips twitched up. Then the other. Finally he started laughing and I joined him. Ii was sure it would make him laugh. How could it not, considering what had happened when he had tried it on _me_? "So?" I asked when we finally stopped. "Did I do it well?"

"Verra well, lass," he said. I smiled, hoping that meant that I had won. "But I still won't meet with my father."

_Rats!_ I put on my pouty face again. "Please?"

"No."

I sighed. This was much harder than I had anticipated. "Okay, here's my final offer. You meet with your father, and I'll do something nice in return."

"And that nice thing is?" he asked, skeptically.

"I don't know," I said. But I'll figure it out." And I would. Later. It would be hard to think of something, though, because he didn't really need anything from me that I didn't do already. Maybe I could make him something with Hesty…

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. _Just like his father_, I thought. "Oh, all right. Fine. I'll meet with him. Once," he agreed. I squealed with happiness, and threw my arms around him. "But that's all I can promise, Rapunzel."

"That's all I want," I assured him. "Just give him a chance." A bubble of excited triumph welled up within me. He was going to meet his father!

"I'll try." He sighed heavily. "You know that I love you, don't you?" I nodded. "Good," he said. "Because I wouldn't do this for anyone else."

"I know," I said. And I did. There was no chance he would do this for anybody else and it was just another reminder of how much he loved me. Could there be a more lucky girl than me?

He kissed the top of my head gently. "Well, Princess, you'd better go back to bed. Don't want a scandal attached to your name, now do we?"

He was right about that. If anybody here heard that I had sneaked into his room in the middle of the night I can guarantee that they wouldn't think I had come for a chat. I giggled softly. "No." I stood up, and hugged him again. "Thank you!"

Then I scrambled back to my room and back into bed.

XXXXXXXXXX

I set up the meeting with Eugene and his father two days later, and this time I made sure that Eugene came with me. We sat close together on the same bench in the same garden. I glanced at Eugene briefly and frowned. His face was drawn and he almost looked like he was going to his execution. Again. "I…I don't know about this," Eugene muttered.

"Trust me," I assured him, wishing that I could make him feel better. "Everything will be fine. And don't worry." I gently put my arm through his. "I'll be right here if anything….goes wrong."

He laced my fingers in his own. "I know." We sat in silence for a few moments, until Lord Herbert came. Eugene's grip on my fingers tightened as soon as he had caught sight of his father. My fingers started to ache.

"Princess!" Lord Herbert said with a smile. "It is a pleasure to see you again." Suddenly the smile vanished from his face. "Oh. You…you must be Eugene."

Eugene stiffened beside me. "Yes." My eyes darted from him to Lord Herbert. I hadn't feared his reaction. _Please_, I prayed silently. _Please don't be mad. _ I held my breath.

Lord Herbert smiled again, but barely. "It's…nice to see you again." I exhaled. One obstacle overcome! Lord Herbert seemed a little nervous, but not angry. And that had been my concern.

"That's one way to put it," Eugene said. "I'm sorry I can't say the same." I elbowed him in the ribs. "I mean, yes, it's a…uh-…" He coughed. "Pleasure." _Or in other words, anything but_, I thought.

Silence descended, and it was not a pleasant one, I can tell you that. I attempted to make some small talk (yes, one of Lady Gray's lessons did come in handy. Who knew, right?), but both of them made similar short responses. Finally, I couldn't stand the tenseness anymore. "Why don't you just talk about what's eating you both, please? I can't take this anymore!"

They both stared at me for a long moment. Then Eugene smiled dryly. "Okay. I'll start. So, Herb, my man, let's talk about my mother. You know the one. The one that you let-…" His grip on my hand increased, turning my hand almost numb. "Eugene," I warned, cutting him off. I had told him to try his best to be civil and he said he would. "Remember what I-…"

Lord Herbert cringed, but then he shook his head. "No. Let him finish. I…I probably deserve it."

Eugene let go of my hand, and jumped up to his feet. My fingers instantly began to lose their numbness, but I'd almost rather have numb fingers than an aching heart- because I knew he was about to let Lord Herbert have it. And I was right. "Darn right you do," he said loudly. "You deserve much more than a tongue lashing. More like a fist in the face. But lucky for you, I won't do it because of Rapunzel."

Lord Herbert opened his mouth. "Eugene…I can't tell you-…"

"…How sorry you are?" he finished with (an almost) sneer. "Well, guess what? I am too. Sorry that, because of you, my mother is dead."

My heart grew even heavier. This wasn't what I had hoped for at all. "Eugene," I interrupted gently, my hands twisting in my lap. "You don't know that."

He glanced down at me. "Yes. I do," he insisted.

"No, sweet, (though you're not really acting like that now, I thought to myself)" I said again. "You don't. It's entirely possible that she might have….uh….died anyway."

He stared at me, incredulous. "Are you taking his side?"

"I'm not-…." I began. _I'm not taking his side! I'm just trying to stop you from punching your own father!_

"I don't believe it," he said. "I agreed to this meeting for you, and now you're taking his side?"

"I'm not taking anybody's side!" I cried.

His eyes went blank again, which I immediately knew meant that he didn't believe me and the meeting was over. His eyes always lost expression when he was very angry about something. "Oh right," he said sarcastically. "Excuse me," he said before walking away in a huff.

I wrung my hands nervously as I watched him go. "I'm so sorry, Lord Herbert," I said as I turned to him. "This is all my fault."

He smiled faintly. "Oh, Princess, it's not. You…you just can't rush this sort of thing."

"I...I guess not," I admitted. "It's just that the both of you are so similar-…I just wish you could talk…but I guess it was a bad idea." I felt tears well up in my eyes. Eugene mad again, his father upset….What had I done? What had I been thinking? Apparently I hadn't been thinking at all, I berated myself scornfully.

He sighed and sat next to me. "You know something?" I smiled encouragingly. "I almost wish we could too. He seems like a quite a remarkable young man, rescuing you and all."

"He…he is," I said as I looked off in the direction that he had gone. "He is that." Images of Eugene being heroic flashed through my mind- Eugene cutting my hair, Eugene fighting for me and Catherine in the woods, Eugene telling me to go….

"He seems to really love you." Lord Herbert's voice cut through my thoughts.

"He...he does." I smiled faintly as I remembered when he had told me so.

"And you love him, don't you?" he asked kindly.

"Yes," I said automatically. But it wasn't automatic in the sense that I didn't feel what I was saying, because I did. But automatic in the sense that he loved me, and I loved him. Hmmm. I'm not explaining this well, am I? But by that point, my love for Eugene was as steady and constant as the rising of the sun. And I could easily say it to anyone, except to the person who needed to hear the most. "Yes, I do. More than anything."

"So you want him to have a father and talk to me," he said.

"Yes," I said. "But it doesn't seem like it will happen now."

Lord Herbert's eyes were sad and I could tell that deep down he wanted his son. "Maybe one day."

"Maybe."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Lord Herbert's and my conversation ended soon after that, and I knew exactly what I needed to do. That isn't to say that I was looking forward to it, because I wasn't. With a deep breath, I slowly walked up to Eugene's room and knocked on the door. "Eugene?" I called. Nothing. "Eugene, I know you're not that happy with me, but…please. Talk to me."

I heard soft footsteps come to the door. A pause. A sigh. Then the door opened- to reveal a rather frazzled and haggard looking Eugene.I held out my arms boldly and he fell into my embrace with a sigh. "Oh, Eugene. I'm so…I'm so sorry." I almost choked on my tears of regret. "This is all my fault."

He pulled back from me. "No…no, it's not. It's not your fault my father and I have the relationship that we do."

"But I thought you were angry with me," I asked, confused. Didn't he think that I had been conspiring with his father?

"Well, honestly, I was," he said. "But I know that you were only trying to help."

Relief filled me. He wasn't mad. We weren't going to have another fight. Thank God. "I was. You just are so much alike. I can tell you've been….I don't know. Lonely. And I wanted you to have somebody to talk to."

He took one of my hands in his. "I like you for that."

"I want you to have a father," I said in earnest.

He turned my hand over and kissed my palm. "And I love you for that."

My heart skipped a happy beat. "Say it again."

He smiled. "I love you."

"Why?" Before you jump on me, I didn't necessarily mean it in the way it sounded-like I was whining and begging for compliments. But I wasn't. I honestly wanted to know what he loved about me.

And he knew it too. He took my other hand and stared at them both for a minute. I waited- though not the most patiently, I must admit-for him to answer. "Rapunzel," he said at last. "I love you. You're the sweetest, smartest, most wonderful girl I've ever met. I know that I sort of saved your life…"

"_You_ saved _my _life?" I interrupted.

He smiled sheepishly. "Well, kind of. Anyway, I don't want to argue with you again. Besides, I wasn't done yet. Even if I saved you, it's no more than you saved _me_. You told me that you liked me for me, and not for Flynn Rider. Do you know what that did to me? For the first time in years, you made me feel like Eugene was worth something, and I didn't need to be a thief to be important."

"Really?" I had done all that? My heart stopped feeling guilty for the confrontation with his father. At least I had done something for him.

"Yes," he said. "And I love you for it. I love you from the tips of your cute toes, to the top of your hair- the hair that reminds me of the best and worst day of my life simultaneously. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Blond-…"

I almost laughed with sheer happiness. "Were you going to call me 'Blondie'? You can't do that anymore; my hair isn't blonde!"

He smiled sheepishly. "I was. But that's only because I need some kind of pet name for you and that's the only thing that came to mind."

I smiled back. He wanted a pet name for me! He loved me! I felt the bliss almost overwhelm me. "Well, you can't call me pet. Or flower. Or Blondie. Or Brownie."

"I get why you don't want Blondie or Brownie," he said. "But what's wrong with Flower or pet?"

I wrinkled my nose. "Why do you think?"

His eyes lit up. "Ah!" he said knowingly. "That's what you were called by Sat-…" he coughed. "I mean, Gothel."

I laughed. "Were you about to call her Satan?"

"No," he insisted. "I was about to call her Satan incarnate. But if you don't like that one, believe me, I have plenty of other insults at my disposal."

"That's okay, I think I'll live without it," I said. "I have a good name for _you_ though."

"And what's that?" he asked, amused.

"Hazelnut," I said with a smile. "Because your eyes are the color of my all time favorite food, hazelnut soup."

He wrinkled his nose as if he had smelled something bad. "I don't think-…."

"And when I'm annoyed with you," I continued with a meaningful look. "I can call you Hazzie or Nut.'"

He frowned. "I'm not-…" he began to protest.

I chuckled again. "Oh yes, you are. Sometimes anyway. But you'll always be _my_ nut."

His eyes were a mix of amusement and annoyance. He smiled fakely."I've been called many names before, but never that. Now I'm a nut. Great." Then the smile vanished. "Isn't there something else you can come up with?"

I thought for a minute and I easily came up with another name that was even better. "I guess so. But it won't nearly be as original as hazelnut."

He clutched his chest as if I had mortally wounded him. "Somehow I think I'll live with the heartache."

I giggled. "Well, the only thing that comes to mind is….my sweet RobinHeart."

"Your sweet Robin what?" he repeated in confusion.

"You don't get it?" I asked, puzzled. "It's a play off of Robin Hood. You know, he was this big bad thief, but he really was a sweetheart underneath. Like you."

He beamed a very big and silly smile then. "I like it."

I smiled back. "I thought you might. So what's your name for me?"

He stroked his chin for a moment. "Hmmmm…I can only think of stupid ones, nothing as clever as yours."

"Let me be the judge of that," I told him.

"Well," he said. "There's always Zel, Zellie, Punzie…." I made a face and then he laughed. "I didn't think you'd like those. But I did think of my SweetEmmie."

"I don't get it," I said. Sweet Emmie? What? A sweet Enemy? That didn't make any sense, for sure.

He smirked. "I didn't think you would. After all-…"

"…you are a genius," I finished. "Right, _Nut_." I elbowed him in the ribs. Hard.

"Hey!" he said. "Anyway, the sweet is because you _are_ sweet, and the emmie? Well, your eyes are as green as if somebody put emeralds in your face. And emeralds are a jewel, and you'll always be as precious as a jewel to me."

Now my face had a goofy smile. He thought my eyes were like emeralds! I was like a jewel to him! "I like it, Sir RobinHeart."

He smiled back as he drew me closer to him. "I thought you might, SweetEmmie."

Is there any doubt in your mind as to what happened next?


	16. Caught!

A/N: So this is a pretty big chapter in terms of plot and answering questions. Hopefully, you hadn't predicted too much of it, but if you have, my hat is off to you!

Beyond that, I am really pleased with it and how it turned out, which is nice because I wasn't completely happy with the last one. I think it's really kind of funny and exciting at the same time, and I don't know, I just really like it. Yay. And I hope you do too.

As always, thank you to my loyal readers and new reviewers! I love hearing from you.

* * *

_**Chapter 15-Caught!**_

Wickedness is always easier than virtue; for it takes the short cut to everything."

-Samuel Johnson

"_EW!" Flynn shrieked. "I'm so sick of these kissing scenes!"_

_Leana felt irritation overwhelm her. Would Flynn never shut up? "Flynn!," she snapped. "Would you stop interrupting Mother for once in your life?" _

_Her mother gasped. "Leana!" _

_Leana instantly felt remorseful. "I'm-…." Then she glanced over at Father. He was barely holding back a laugh. "D...Don't be!" he said through bursts of laughter.  
"Yeah," said Arthur. "You're only saying what we're all thinking.." He sent a dirty look at Flynn. _

_Flynn glared back. "Well, excuse me if I'm not as fascinated with mouth to mouth as you all seem to be." He turned to Father. "Can't you tell more about the spying? Or something that doesn't involve…." He grimaced. "Kissing?"_

_Father laughed again. "Oh trust me Flynn, with a name like yours, you're going to be more interested in it one of these days. But sure, I can tell you more about the spying now. The day after the rather un-happy meeting with my father, I resumed my spying duties…."_

**I decided that I should go back to Prince Lorcan's office because I hadn't been able to go through the papers in his drawers. And it was entirely possible that I might find something helpful there. So I strolled over there casually with both my hat and spectacles. I examined the door again, and found that it was locked. I was unaffected though. I knew I could easily pick it open again, and of course I did, very successfully I might add. Once I opened the door, I immediately looked through the papers on top of his desk but there was absolutely nothing interesting, just another bunch of boring laws and bills. I sighed. I guess I would have to pick the drawer of the lock too. **

**I was about to do so, when I suddenly heard voices outside the door, one suspiciously sounding like Prince Lorcan. I ducked into the closet so he wouldn't see me. I peered through a small hole in the door as Prince Lorcan sat behind the desk, and began shuffling through his papers.**

**A throat cleared. "Pardon me, Your Highness."**

**He looked up. "Ah, Niall," he said with a smile. "Wonderful. Do you have a report for me?"**

"**Yes sir," said the deep voice. I assumed it to be Niall (or Lorcan's sidekick).**

"**Did the mission go smoothly?" asked Prince Lorcan. A mission? What kind of mission could he have? A mission to make me miserable? A mission to steal my girl? A mission to be the biggest stick in the mud? I smirked. He definitely succeeded in that one. **

"**The **_**mission**_**? You mean the ambush?" An ambush? My curiosity was piqued. Who did Lorcan try to ambush?**

"**Nuance. Yes, the ambush. What happened?"**

"**It was quite successful. She reacted just like you said she would." She? Who was the she they were talking about?**

"**Excellent. So she promptly healed the man?"**

"**Eugene had to convince her to, but yes, she did it." I nearly fell over in shock. Prince **_**Lorcan**_** sent the ambush? A rush of anger surged through me that had absolutely nothing to do with his trying to steal Rapunzel away from me. The ambush was low, real low. Philip could have died if it hadn't been for Rapunzel! **

**Oh. I guess that was kind of the point. He wanted to see if Rapunzel could still heal, so that meant he knew about it. Not good. What kind of devious plan did he have for her gift? It was blatantly obvious that he had something he wanted to do with it. People just couldn't resist exploiting her, could they? **

"**And there was no trace left? No scar, nothing?" **

"**Well, sir, Eugene has a scar from Gothel's dagger, but that could be because she hadn't been focusing as much then. I haven't examined the man closely, but I would assume there wouldn't be." Okay, this was just getting creepy. How did they know I still had one?**

"**Wonderful. So you would likely say that if, in the rare case that she won't marry me and persists in pursuing that piece of scum-…."**

**Okay, I was beyond mad now. My hands curled into fists. I was **_**not**_** a piece of scum! Besides that, nobody was allowed to insult me…but me. **

"…**We could still conquer Corona." He wanted to conquer Corona? No, No, No. Lorcan ruling Corona would only happen over my stone cold dead body. Literally. **

"**Aye, sir. But we will need her help, you know, if we are to overcome their army. Corona is more powerful than us." Instantly, I realized what his plan was-if they used Rapunzel's healing ability it was possible that they would lose no men in some kind of battle, and Corona would. And Screlandria would emerge victorious. Oh, Prince Lorcan had hit a new level of slyness, that's for sure. Using Rapunzel against her home country? Devious. Mean, too. Prince Lorcan would have to somehow force her to do it as well, because there was no way she'd do it willingly. I sharply inhaled. And to get Rapunzel to do it, he'd have to go through me first. Most likely with a sword. Stupendous. **

**Prince Lorcan frowned. "Indeed. So I have to definitively get her away from him." Just like I thought. Ugh. Did I really have to deal with more sociopaths that wanted me dead? **

"**I believe so."**

"**Or get him away from her." **

"**There is always that possibility, yes."**

**Much to my horror, I sneezed. Niall immediately threw open the closet door. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" he barked. **

**I put on my must innocent expression. "What be wrong with you? Canna you recognize a servant when you see one?"**

**He looked skeptical. "A….**_**servant**_**?" **

"**Aye, aye," I said with a smile. "Gene's me name. Ian asked me to help clean yer majesty's office."**

"**So you were cleaning the**_** closet**_**?" Incredulity was in every syllable he spoke.**

"**Aye," I answered. "Dinna you ken? Closets need a good cleaning too, you know, especially when they are as filthy as this one. No offense, Your Highness." **_**Or Lowness, as the case may be.**_

**He glanced back at Prince Lorcan. "Ah, I don't believe-…."**

**Prince Lorcan walked up behind us. "If you are a servant, which I suspect you might not be, considering your clothes are too clean, will you take off your spectacles?"**

_**Don't think so.**_** "Ah, yer Highness, I canna see without them!" **

"**Certainly you can bear a moment without them, can't you?"**

"**Nae, I canna," I said again.**

**He peered closely through my spectacles, and I almost thought I could detect a hint of recognition in his eyes. "Did you say **_**Gene**_**? As in **_**Eu**_**gene?"**

"**Nae. Just Gene," I said. "Gene's what me mither named me when I was a wee bairn." Wow. My ability to speak Screlandrian was astounding even me. **

"**Gene, right. So you don't happen to know Eugene Fitzherbert, do you?" **

"**Who's that?" I asked stupidly. Better that they took me for a fool than a spy, right?**

"**So. You have no clue who he is, you just look like him."**

"**Ah, I'm thinking ye might not want me to clean right now," I said as I headed toward the door. "I'll just be going now-…." **_**Get me out of here!**_

**As I turned to go, I felt something tug at my head. I saw Niall holding my spectacles. **

"**You! You are-…"**

"**I think I be going now!" I said, trying to run out. **

"**But-…"**

**On my way out, I heard Prince Lorcan say "Let him go. We'll deal with him later."A shiver went down my spine as I walked briskly back to my room**_**. Great. More fun. **_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Once I was back in my room, I immediately sat down and wrote a letter to Rapunzel's parents:**

_**October 20**_

_**To their Royal Majesties, King Ostwalt and Queen Guinevere of Corona**_

_**Dear Sire and Madam,**_

_**I have uncovered the information that you have asked me to find. **_

**I stopped writing and peered closely at what I had written. Hmm. Was that too direct? It was entirely possible that someone in Screlandria would get their hands on this letter, and with their hands, my head. Spies were almost as disliked as thieves. But I had to warn them somehow of Prince Lorcan's plot. I sighed and started writing again. This would be so much easier if they had given me some sort of code to use. Nevertheless, I continued:**

**_Today I overheard HRH Prince Lorcan and one of his cronies assistants discussing their plans for Screlandria, and it is quite awful to say the least. Prince Lorcan's scheme is this:_**

**_Plan A: Marry HRH Rapunzel, Princess of Corona and rule over both Corona and Screlandria. I assume that this plan is not as repulsive to you as it is to me (because _****I _should marry her, not some psycho prince)_****_, but Plan B will be, trust me._**

**_Plan B: If Princess Rapunzel does not marry Prince Lorcan and "persists in pursuing that piece of scum" (AKA me), Prince Lorcan will launch an attack against the kingdom of Corona. Further, Prince Lorcan will use the Princess's capacity to heal to overcome the fact that Corona's army is much larger than his. _**

**_I do not know if Your Majesties have heard the news that we were ambushed on our way to Screlandria, but I heard from Prince Lorcan's own lips that he sent that ambush himself because he's a complete sociopath and wants to torture me to see if my sweetemmie the Princess could still heal. One of our men, Philip, was wounded and I convinced Rapunzel the Princess to use her tears to heal him (which healed me) and she did so. I do not know how that dirty rat Prince Lorcan discovered this, but I would suspect that he sent his own spies and they saw the whole thing. _**

**_Your Majesties, I do not know what you will choose to do with this information, but I must urge you to immediately arrest him and tear his head off his body think carefully before deciding. Beware. Prince Lorcan is completely ruthless and determined to achieve his evil and sinister plot goals. Beyond this, I have to confess that the Prince caught me today when I heard him, and I suspect that he wants to run his sword through do away with me. _**

**_I don't know what the Prince's plan for me will be, but I will, of course, look after the Princess's well-being and safety as long as possible. _**

**_Yours respectfully,_**

**_ Eugene Fitzherbert_**

**I examined what I had written. I decided to cross out the places where I had called Prince Lorcan names (probably a good idea not to insult the king's cousin like that) and the places where I had called Rapunzel anything other than Princess. I also scratched out the part where I had written that I should be the one to marry her. No, I didn't do that because I was somehow…ashamed of it, because I would eagerly tell anyone who asked that I loved her and wanted to marry her. But somehow it seemed different to say that in a letter to her father, who just happened to be the king. **

**A knock at the door jolted me out of my thoughts. "Eugene?" **

**It was Rapunzel. I hastily put my writing supplies away and shoved the letter into one of my pockets. Then I opened the door. "Yes?"**

**She smiled at me. "I was just about to-…" Then she stared at my hands. Okay, I just have to interject something here: I didn't care that she was looking at my hands. After all, they are quite nice ones, if I do say myself. That wasn't the problem. The problem was my hands hand ink all over them and knowing her, she would want to know why. I thrust them behind my back. "You were about to?"**

**Her eyes were thoughtful. "What were you doing? Your hands have stains all over them."**

**I put on my innocent look again. "Really? How funny! I'm sure it doesn't look like what you think it is."**

**"I think you've been….have you been writing something?" she said. **

**Oh, Rapunzel. Got to love her, sharp as the point of Gothel's dagger. Nothing gets by her, does it? Her parents should have made her a spy, too, because she'd be amazing at it. "Well, then I guess it _does_ look like what you think it is," I said with a forced laugh. "I was actually writing something." **

**"Really?" she asked. "What was it?"**

**My mind raced. "Ah….em, my memoirs." _Yes, Good_. "Erm, I was just writing down my memories, you know, because one day I'll be famous. And everybody's going to want to know every speck of detail about me. Because I am one interesting guy, don't you think?"**

**Her eyes shone. "Oh yes," she said. "I do. Can I see them? I'd love to read more about when you were a little boy…."**

**"Ah, no!" I said hastily. Too hastily, if her crestfallen face was any indication. "I mean, no, I barely even started. And I want you to have something really good to read."**

**"Oh," she said, still a little sad. "Well, I was about to ask if you were ready to go to dinner with me."**

**"Of course," I said. Then I followed her toward the dining hall, all the while musing to myself that I had become way too good at lying to her. **

** XXXXXXXXX**

**That night at dinner was agonizing. Oh, believe me, any dinner watching Prince Lorcan make sultry eyes at Rapunzel was agonizing, but watching him make sultry eyes at Rapunzel after knowing that he wanted to take over Corona? Well, it was beyond excruciating. I twitched in my seat the entire time, wishing that there was some kind of protocol that allowed me to shove Prince Lorcan's food in his face. Besides that, my _charming_ father, Lord Herbert, kept darting apologetic looks in my direction. Like I would be tempted to talk to him again because of a sorry glance! And when he wasn't sending sorry glances at me, he was staring at me. His face seemed to say, "Oh. That's what my son looks like. I want to know him so." Part of me wanted to reach across the table, grab him by the shirt collar, and say "You had twenty-one years of opportunities to know me, and guess what? You blew it." **

**Of course I didn't do that. No, instead I sat decorously in my chair, making polite conversation with the people across from me, which was Princess Leana and her-well, I could only guess that he was her beau from the way they looked at each other. Much like Rapunzel looked at me sometimes- beau, Geralt. To my unending surprise, Princess Leana was quite sweet-quiet, there was no doubt about that- but sweet. How she ended up like that, with a brother like Prince Lorcan, was beyond me. Geralt was amiable too. They didn't make me feel like a piece of mud stuck to their shoe either, which was definitely an improvement over the nobility of both Corona and Screlandria. **

**Princess Leana smiled at me. "So, Eugene-may I call you Eugene?"**

**I grinned. "I don't see why not." What else would she call me? Mr. Fitzherbert? Flynn Rider? Don't think so. **

**"So, what do you think of Screlandria?" she asked. **

**I forced down a snort. Screlandria, the country, was fine. The people, on the other hand? Awful. Except for Ian. He was kind. And Princess Leana and Geralt. "Oh, it's quite….lovely." _The countryside, that is._ **

**Her smile widened. "Aw, I'm ever so glad! Canna you bear to leave such a beautiful land?"**

**That was another thing about Princess Leana-she had a slight Screlandria accent whereas Prince Lorcan had none. I couldn't help but be curious about that. "Well, I am fond of Corona, so I think I'll somehow get through it." _Easily!_ "Princess Leana, may I ask you something?"**

**"Of course," she said.**

**"Well, I couldn't help but notice that you have an accent and your brother doesn't," I said.**

**She and Geralt exchanged a look. "Lorcan isna as fond of the common people as I am, and the way they talk," she said. "He tried his best to eradicate any sign of it."**

**"Ah," I said. "I see."**

**Princess Leana's face grew slightly sad. Geralt noticed and so he immediately changed the subject. "Eugene, how did you and Princess Rapunzel meet?"**

**I laughed. "You haven't heard the story? I figured everyone had."**

**"We have," Geralt said. "But never from you."**

**"Well," I said. "I'd be happy to tell it to you." **

**And so I did.**

** XXXXXXXXXX**

**The next morning I found a note slid under my door:**

**_To know more about Prince Lorcan's plan, come to the palace vault today at 3 pm. Come alone. Don't tell anyone about this note._**

**_-A Friend_**

**I almost laughed. What, was I suddenly an idiot? Why on earth would I agree to meet some random person who didn't even tell me their name? Then I noticed a tiny arrow on the bottom right corner. I turned the note over.**

**_Oh, and if information wasn't incentive enough, coming to this meeting would ensure Rapunzel's safety._**

**The smile slide off my face. Who had the nerve to threaten Rapunzel? It couldn't be Prince Lorcan and his cronies; they would want her well so she could heal. So it had to be somebody else. Maybe another sort of spy? Some kind of ant-Corona group? I shook my head ruefully. Well, whoever they were they were pretty darn smart. The easiest way to get me to do _anything _was to throw Rapunzel into the mix. **

**_Fine, whoever you are,_**** I though. _I'll go._ But if they thought that I would go without one of my very good friends, then they had another think coming. I walked over the loose floor board near my bead, and pushed it open with my foot. I shuffled through the papers I had stashed there and took out an object: a slim dirk dagger. That way, if Mr. Notesender tried anything funny, I would have at least something to defend myself. A sword would have been better, but it was too bulky and ostentatious to carry around. I carefully slid the dagger into my boot and nearly grinned with triumph. Boy was I a smart and resourceful spy. **

**A knock echoed at the door. Unfortunately, I knew it wouldn't be Rapunzel-this time of the morning she was always off doing some kind of princess duty. I walked over and opened the door, curious to see who it was. **

**It was Philip, basically the only friend I had here. "Hello," he said. "I just was wondering what you were doing today. Maximus keeps telling me that he wants you to ride him. Somehow I'm just not the same."**

**I laughed. "Actually, I'm not really doing anything today-well, except for something at 3- so I can ride for a while if you want."**

**He smiled back. "Great. So. Don't you think it's been boring here? I mean, all I do is watch over the horses…."**

**Boring? Screlandria? Ha! Between my father, spying, and a fight with Rapunzel things here were hardly dull. But I could understand why Philip might think so. A brilliant idea came to me then. "I have something you could do for me that might be more thrilling."**

**"Really?" he asked, excited. "What would it be?"**

**I gestured for him to come inside, and I shut the door behind him. "Well," I said quietly. "I would be eternally grateful to you if you would take a letter back to Corona for me."**

**His expression changed instantly from excitement to displeasure. "Oh, I don't think-…" he began.**

**He didn't think he could leave Catherine for over a week. I could understand that (I wouldn't want to leave Rapunzel either), but this was too important. Corona as we knew it was at stake. "Please, Philip? I can't tell you why but this letter is of the utmost importance. It _has _to reach the King and Queen and so I need somebody I trust to deliver it."**

**He sighed deeply and I could tell he might give in. "But what about the horses?"**

**"Don't worry about your job with the horses," I assured him. "I'll think of something to tell Rapunzel and she'll say something royal like she gave you a temporary leave of absence or something."**

**He sighed again. "Oh all right. Give me the letter and I'll leave tomorrow."**

**I beamed a smiled at him and took the letter out of my pocket. "Here," I said, as I handed it to him. "Thank you! I owe you one."**

**"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "Just make sure you come riding today, won't you?" **

**"Wouldn't miss it."**

** XXXXXXXXXX**

**And I didn't. Philip and I had a pleasant ride together, and for a while I could forget about Prince Lorcan, the note, my father…. Eventually, however, I had to think about meeting the mysterious sender of the note. Lucky for him, I actually knew where the palace vault was. No interest in actually going there (I was done stealing crowns and such), but I knew where to go. **

**I easily found the door to the vault (which actually had a lock that I _wasn't_ sure I could pick. Good job, guards. One point for you. I still have ten) and even was a few minutes early. So that I meant I was fortunate to stand there, my foot tapping restlessly, waiting for the writer to show up. And he didn't.**

**So I waited. And waited. And waited.**

**Did I mention that I waited? I must have stood there, bored out of my mind, for at least an hour and a half. Eventually I let out a deep huffing sigh. _Well, this had been a complete waste of time._ I started to head back to my room. If the writer wasn't going to show up now, he probably wouldn't show up at all. Which made no difference to me whatsoever. I had better things to do than wait for strangers who didn't given have the gall to sign their own name when they sent me a note.**

**"Going somewhere?"**

**I turned around. It was Prince Lorcan. And at least twenty guards. Wonderful. I berated myself silently. I should have known this was a setup. A setup for what, I really couldn't tell you, but I knew one when I saw one. I decided to act casual even though I wanted nothing better than to hit Prince Lorcan. Hard. "Actually," I said. "Yes. I was-…" **

**Prince Lorcan interrupted me with a rather self-satisfied smile. "Actually, Mr. Fitzherbert-or should I say Flynn Rider- you aren't going anywhere."**

** "And why is that?" I said. My mind was thinking of possible ways to get out of this situation, none of which were realistic enough to be plausible (what was the likelihood that Maximus could really drop through the stone ceiling?). My dagger would have no effect on this many people, especially when they had their own swords that were twice as big as mine. I wished for a number of things in that minute-like to rewind the clock to when I got that note and instead of reading it, burned it up- but the funniest one was definitely my wish for Rapunzel's blasted frying pan. Hey! It had knocked out at least five guards back in Corona and that was….a _quarter _of the people that I needed to decapitate. **

**Prince Lorcan's smile increased. You know how there's some people you never want to see smile? Because if they're that happy about something, it means somebody else is going to be really sad? Yeah. That's how Prince Lorcan's smile was. And the somebody sad was going to be me. "Because you're under arrest."**

**I scoffed. Seriously? Me under arrest? Please. For once in my life, I hadn't done anything to deserve it. "For what? I haven't done-…" He couldn't arrest me for listening in closets. As far as I knew, that wasn't a crime. But then again, I don't know much about the law….Maybe Screlandria had some fool law about closet listeners. **

** "That's true," he admitted. "You haven't really. But I can easily tell everyone that you weren't here to meet with someone, but to steal our precious ****_Leabhar Cheanannais_****_."_**

**My jaw dropped in amazement. "Your what-y what? I don't even know what the thing is! You wouldn't accuse me of that, not without proof! I'll-I'll take you to court!" I didn't even know what I was saying, but it sure sounded good.**

**He raised his hand. "Oh please," he said dismissively. "Don't be idiotic. It would be my word against yours in court. And who do you think they'll believe? Their beloved prince? Or a notorious thief?"**

**"But-but…," I started walking toward him, my hand only inches away from my boot. "You can't-…" **

**Before I could even do anything-like spit in his face and run the opposite direction- he snapped his fingers. "Guards!"**

**Instantly, the guards grabbed hold of me, and as hard as I fought, I couldn't break free. They dragged me through the castle, kicking and screaming..….Okay, not really. I don't scream. However, I did fight them a lot because I was determined to get away from them. But all my resistance ended up being futile. Because I couldn't break free from them. They pushed me further and further down into the very depth of the castle.**

**And tossed me in jail. **

**

* * *

**Like Eugene, you might want to know what the Leabhar Cheanannais is. It's the Irish word for the Book of Kells, a Latin translation of the Four Gospels. the text itself is ornately decorated with calligraphy and other such pictures and is basically the national treasure of Ireland. Since Screlandria is based Ireland I thought it was the perfect thing for Eugene to NOT steal. If you want to read more about it, check out .org/wiki/Book_of_kells 


	17. In Jail

_**Chapter 16- In Jail**_

"Life isn't fair. It's just fairer than death, that's all."

-William Goldman

**I have news for you that I'm sure you'll be surprised to hear: Jail is really a very unpleasant place to be.**

**You're shocked, aren't you? What, you say? And here you thought it was a wonderful way to spend a day!**

**Ha ha. I think I just split a side laughing, because, you know, that's a great joke. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm fortunate (or not so fortunate, depending on how you look at it) enough to have first hand experience in jails, so I am qualified to tell you that you're dead wrong:**

**Jail is**_** awful**_**. I hate it. A lot. In fact, on my ongoing list of things I hate, you can put jail right underneath a sad Rapunzel and Mother Gothel, and before being outwitted and having my nose drawn wrong. That's how much I hate it. **

**For one thing, jails are always cold and smelly. Especially in late October. **

**For another, everyone looks so angry and sour. Like Rapunzel once said, they "look like they had sucked on ten lemons and then swallowed them whole." Everybody scowls all the time too. Don't get me wrong; I love a good scowling contest. But somehow when you're in jail, it's not nearly as fun. **

**This trip to jail was even worse than my last trip too. Sure, that one was horrible. Worry about Rapunzel falling into the hands of the Stabbington brothers tormented me, and I paced all night. But at least that time I had deserved to be there. At least I had been guilty of the accused crime. **

**This time I was innocent, which made everything ten times worse. I'd been here for almost a whole day and I was growing angrier and angrier. It was just so unfair. I hadn't done anything to deserve this. Well, except for finding out Prince Lorcan's devious plan. Except for the fact that I was in the unlucky position to be in love with the same girl as him. And having her love me back. Oh, she hadn't told me as of late, but I had been telling the truth when I told her that I knew she did, and when I told her that I knew she would tell me when she was ready. I didn't lie to Rapunzel. Ever. **

**Well, okay, I hadn't been completely upfront about the spying, but I had no choice in that. I had sworn that I wouldn't tell. Besides, that was more of a lie of omission than a lie of commission. And lies of omissions weren't as bad. Right? **

"**Rider!" **

**A guard walked up to my cell. "Yes?" **

**He scowled at me, and I tried unsuccessfully to resist scowling back. "You have a visitor."**

_**Rapunzel. **_**My heart beat faster at the thought of seeing her face.****"Excellent. How long do I have with her?"**

"**About a half an hour," he sneered. "But don't try anything funny. I'm watching you, Mr. Rider."**

**You know something? I hadn't realized how much I had grown accustomed to being called Eugene again, or how much I liked being called that until this joker called me Rider. Eugene was really how I saw myself now, and I knew that he called me by my previous alias to show he didn't believe me that I hadn't done it. I suppose it wasn't too surprising considering that I was sure Prince Lorcan was telling everyone that he caught me stealing their….thingy. But still. I didn't need to be called Rider. Amazingly enough, I liked the name Eugene now. I don't think I would ever like my last name though. But I liked being called Rider even less. "That's**_** Mr. Fitzherbert **_**to you."**

**Unsurprisingly, the guard completely ignored me. Figures. I returned to my previous task, which was counting how many rats I could easily see. Hmmm. There's one….two….three. Oh, just three today. But, if you ask me, there was one missing. A really big one, that looked a lot like Prince Lorcan. If I had my way, Prince Lorcan **_**would**_** be here with the rats-they could share what they had in common. I sighed in annoyance. This whole jail thing was getting really old…..and dull too. I started picking at my bootlaces out of sheer boredom. **

**Soon I heard Rapunzel's voice. "I don't care what your orders are. It's bad enough that you've kept me away for 24 hours. I'll be here with him as long as I need to determine what must be done."**

**I grinned. It was nice to know that she was on my side. And that I would see her soon. It was amazing how much I'd miss her. **

"**You really think you'll get more out of him than I will? If so, think again." Rapunzel's voice again.**

"**Our guards are trained to interrogate suspects, Princess." A deeper voice answered. I assumed that was the Captain of the Guard.**

"**Princess, you're right. I**_** am**_** the Princess. And if I say that I'm going to stay here, I'm going to stay here- for as long as I please. If Prince Lorcan has a problem, tell him to talk to me. Now, show me Eugene." Rapunzel's voice was icy. I shook my head. Wow. Rapunzel was even gutsier than when I first met her!**

"**All right. Follow me." The Captain's tone was resigned. **

**Shortly I saw Rapunzel and the Captain walk toward me. Rapunzel's face was stony, but it instantly softened when she saw me. "Thank you. That will be all for now," she said. He nodded slowly and then walked away. To my delight, her eyes started to shine. "Eugene!" she said. "I've missed you. Have they treated you badly?" She reached for my hands through the bars.**

**I took hold of them. "I've missed you too," I said truthfully. "As for treating me well, it could…be worse, I guess." Or not. Things here were awful, but I didn't want to upset her.**

**She shook her head. "You shouldn't be here at all." Her face crumpled and lost its determination. "Oh, Eugene," she said mournfully. "What a mess this is!"**

"**Really?" I hated seeing her so sad (didn't I say that the thing I hated most was a sad Rapunzel?), so I tried to cheer her up. "What kind is it? Big? Large? Colossal? I haven't figured it out myself, which of course is unbelievable for somebody of my intelligence."**

**She almost smiled. "Colossal? I can't believe you just said **_**colossal**_**. It doesn't really sound like you," she said. "I'm surprised."**

"**Oh, well, you know," I said. "I'm just a boatload of surprises. So, what kind is it?"**

**She frowned. "Bad. Really bad."**

"**Like the wanted posters back in Corona?" I joked. "Because I have to say, those were pretty bad." Actually, they were so bad that I considered asking Rapunzel to fire whoever did the posters. **

**She shot me an annoyed look. "I can't believe you're so flippant about this!" she said. "You're in deep trouble, you know."**

"**Really?" I asked. "For being so amazing?" **

**Now she looked like she wanted to hit something or somebody with a frying pan. I hoped it wasn't me. You might not be aware of this, but being hit with a frying pan **_**hurts**_**. I mean, I would know. I'd only been hit no less than three times in the head with one. It's not fun, let me tell you. I had no desire to experience it again. "No, Mr. Smart-aleck," she snapped. **

**I have to admit that I was slightly taken aback then. Rapunzel **_**never **_**called me names, not even in jest. Well, except for the fight we had a few days ago. Then she had called me "a condescending brute". Which is actually kind of funny when you think about it. Because who when they're angry has the mental capacity to use such big words? Only Rapunzel, that's for sure. I don't know about you, but when I'm mad, I sure don't think of words like that. Jerk, pond scum, yes. Condescending, brute, no. I peered closely at her, searching her eyes. And then I realized that she was scared for me, so scared in fact that she was testy. **

"**For stealing," she continued. "Prince Lorcan's accused you of taking their****Leabhar Cheanannais. Didn't you know that? He says that yesterday you sneaked in their vaults and just took it, from right underneath their noses. I tried to say that you wouldn't do it, but nobody believes me. You developed quite a reputation for yourself, you know. And they know about you being Flynn Rider."**

**I did know that. I knew all of it, actually. Prince Lorcan had told me. "I gathered that when the guards call me Rider," I said. "But can't you tell them…." My voice trailed off. I couldn't think of anything that she could tell them.**

**All of the annoyance vanished from her eyes and she looked at me sadly. "I wish there **_**was **_**something I could tell them, like you were with me when it 'happened.' But you weren't. You were exactly where you would be if you**_** had**_** stolen it."**

**I frowned, because I knew she was right. And I couldn't tell her why, because then I would have to tell her about the whole spying thing. And why Lorcan wanted me gone. There was no point in asking her to make something up either, because she wouldn't do it. I don't think she had told more than one lie in her entire life. But she didn't think that I really stole it, did she? "Rapunzel," I said. "I didn't do it, I swear. You have to believe me."**

"**Oh," she said immediately. "I know you didn't." Then her eyes grew thoughtful. "Eugene, are you **_**sure**_** there's nothing you want to tell me about this? I can't help but feel that you're keeping something from me that might….might clear up this whole mess."**

"**Rapunzel," I said. "I really wish I could, but I swore I wouldn't." **

**Tears pricked her eyes. "I understand," she said softly. "You can't break your promise. And you know? You wouldn't be my Eugene if you did."**

**She was being much too sweet about this whole thing and so guilt at not telling her the truth gnawed at me. For one of the very few times in my life, I didn't know what to say. Instead I reached my hand out, and trailed my fingers along her cheek. I hadn't thought it was possible for me to love her more, but I guess I had been wrong. I hadn't ever loved her more than I did in that moment for the immense amount of faith she had in me.**

**Sweetly, she placed one of her own hands on mine. "Your hands are so cold, love" she said softly.**

_**Love? **_** Did she just call me **_**love**_**? That could only mean one thing. "So…you love me?"**

**She blinked in surprise. Then she smiled. "Yes, Eugene," she said. "I do. I love you."**

"**Well, isn't that funny?" I joked. "I love you too."**

"**I love you more," she said. **

**I don't think that was even possible. "I love you the most." **

**To my intense dismay, a tear trickled down her cheek. "What?" I asked her anxiously. "Don't you like being loved by me?" **

"**It's not that," she said. "That's what…Gothel and I used to tell each other." **

**Ah. I wish Gothel hadn't died the way she had. I would have loved to finish her off myself, preferably in a way that was slow and tortuous. "I see." I wiped the tear away with my thumb. "I'm not Gothel, Rapunzel."**

**She blinked. "I know," she said. "And the way you said it isn't at all like she said it either."**

**I should hope not. Gothel loved Rapunzel-if she even loved Rapunzel at all- in an obsessive, should we say how a mother would love a daughter? And I loved her completely, utterly, and romantically. "Well, good," I joked. "I'm relieved to hear it. Did I say it well?" **

"**Of course," she said. "Very well. I love-…" She paused for a moment. "I love hearing you say it." Her cheeks colored slightly. "I didn't want to admit it to myself then, but I was really lonely before you showed up. I'm so glad you came to my tower. Since that first day-well, except for a few moments here and there-I've never been happier than when I'm with you. And there's nothing that I like better than being with you and seeing you happy." Her eyes grew determined again. "Which is why I'm going to get you out of here."**

**I sighed. "I don't know how easy that's going to be. That rat-…" I cleared my throat. "I mean, **_**Prince Lorcan**_** is quite determined to-…." **_**Get rid of me.**_** "Keep me in here."**

**She let out a deep breath. "I know he is. It's not going to be easy, but I'm trying to see if I can at least get you released to palace arrest or something like that. The evidence is pretty circumstantial, and at least part of their accusations is based on your past. I'm also going to talk to Lord Howard today or tomorrow and ask for some advice. Surely there's some of kind of international law that has regulations for this kind of situation-…." Her voice suddenly trailed off as she caught sight of my smile. "What? Why are you smiling?"**

"**It's just that I know that most of the time you don't like being a princess, but you're really good at it. You even talk like one!" I said. "I'm really proud of you. Your parents would be too."**

**She blushed. "Thank you. That means a lot to me," she said softly. **

**Suddenly I remembered Philip and the task that I had asked him to do for me. "Rapunzel," I asked urgently. "Did Philip go somewhere today?"**

**She blinked in surprise. "Actually," she said. "He did. He knocked on my door very early this morning and told me he was taking a message back to Corona. For you." She gave me a meaningful look. **

**I played dumb. "Really? That's…interesting."**

**She sighed. "I'm guessing you're not going to tell me about **_**that**_** either."**

"**I **_**can't**_**." Oh, Rapunzel, you don't know how much I want to tell you.**

**Rapunzel glanced behind her and her voice lowered. "I'm getting glares from the guards, so I should probably go. But before I do, can you….can you tell me why you were in the vault in the first place?"**

**I tried to think of a reason why I couldn't tell her that, but I couldn't think of any. Finally. I could tell her the truth. "I was there to meet someone. But the who is not something I can tell you."**

"**I see. I have to go now, but I'll be back as soon-and as often- as I can to visit. All right?"**

"**Yes….." She turned to go. "Rapunzel, wait," I said. "I love you."**

**She gave me one last smile. "I love you too."**

**Then she left, taking my heart with her.**

** XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**You might find it funny that I soon had another visitor that same afternoon. Only this one was much less welcome, that was for sure. It couldn't have been more than half an hour when the same guard showed up again.**

"**Rider!" he barked. **

**I ignored him and continued my new favorite game: tying knots into my bootlaces. And then untying them. **

"**Rider!" he yelled again.**

**I yawned. "Oh. I'm sorry. Were you talking to me?" He frowned. I felt a grin creep onto my face. There was something immensely satisfying about being as much of a pain to this guard as he was to me. "Because, really, you couldn't be. Considering my name is **_**Eugene**_**."**

**Now he scowled. "Fine. Flynn. Rider. Eugene. Whatever. You have another visitor."**

**It couldn't be Rapunzel so soon, could it? "Really? Who is it?"**

"**Me." Prince Lorcan stepped out from behind the guard. **

**It was my turn to scowl. "Oh, great," I said. "You know I've been just dying to see you. Because you know, I have a few things I'd like to say to you. Like, you're lucky that there's a bar separating us-the only thing that would keep me from punching you….right in the eye."**

**He half- smiled. "Are you threatening me?"**

"**Hmm." I pretended to consider. "Um. Yeah. I think I am."**

**He laughed. "Why are you laughing?" I said. "Because Mr. Fist, I mean, the fist of Eugene Fitzherbert is something to be feared, not laughed at." **

"**Well, I hate to break it to Mr. Fist," he said with a look. "But there's no chance he will get anywhere even close to me, considering you're going to be locked up for a very long time."**

"**Are you threatening **_**me**_**?' I asked. **_**Because you better not be.**_

"**Um. Yeah. I think I am," he mocked. "You're the one who should be scared."**

**I pulled at the shoulders of my sleeves. "Oh, look at me," I said sarcastically. "I'm trembling in my boots." **_**Not.**_

"**You should be," he said firmly. "You know, I didn't take you for an idiot but I guess I was wrong. Because only a fool would think that you are going to best me. And you're not getting out of here, no matter what you think."**

**I scowled. I didn't think I had meet anyone as arrogant and conceited as Lorcan (I couldn't put the prince in there anymore) in my entire life. Where did he get off calling me an idiot? "Is that so? Well, Rapunzel tells me otherwise-she's working hard to clear my name of the 'theft'." **

**He laughed callously. "Don't be stupid. Even if she can somehow convince everyone of your innocence-which I doubt- there's still the little matter of you in my closet and how you got in there. Because I'm guessing you didn't use a key. And, as I'm sure you know, breaking and entering is a crime. As is spying. So regardless I have two other things to pin on you."**

**Busted! I was so busted. Not that I would admit it to Lorcan, who was now rivaling Gothel for my best insults. Hmm. What should he be called? The Devil? Satan incarnate? "Hey, I broke nothing. I happen to be an expert lock-picker. I didn't **_**need**_** to break down the door. And it might interest you to know that I was acting on direct orders from the monarchs of Corona." **

**His eyes filled with surprise and he appeared slightly off-guard. He hadn't expected that, for sure. One point for me, finally. "I see. I'm guessing that Rapunzel doesn't know about your….spying assignment?" **

"**Good guess," I answered. **

**His lips turned into a smirk. "Don't you think she'd like to know? I could tell her, if you would like, you know, at dinner."**

"**No!" I protested instantly. He raised an eyebrow. "I mean, no, I'd rather tell her myself. This is a matter between her and me, which I'm sorry to say-…." **_**Or not so sorry**_**. "….leaves you out."**

**He stared at me. I stared back, unafraid. Hey, if he wanted to have a stare-down glare contest I could easily take him on. And down too. I was amazing at glaring contests, practically won them all. We continued to lock gazes for at least five minutes, before he blinked. **_**I win!**_

**He sighed. "Fine."**

"**Good." I pointed toward the door to the jail. "So, you know, the door is that way."**

"**I am quite aware of that fact," he said, arms crossed. "But I'm guessing this is your unrefined way of telling me to leave."**

"**Actually," I said. "I'd say get lost or make like a drum and beat it or go walk off a short pier. But leave is fine too. Sums up my sentiments nicely."**

"**I **_**can**_** leave," he said. **

**I waved. "Buh-bye."**

"**Since you haven't really listened to me, I'm going to use words that I'm sure you'll understand," he said without flinching. "I'm taking you down, and I'm the one who will be married to Rapunzel. Just watch and see."**

"**We'll see about that." I pointed to the door again. **

**He gave me one final sneer and left. After he did, I felt some of my determination wane. I put my head in my hands. What if Rapunzel couldn't fee me? And what if Lorcan succeeded? What would happen to me then?**


	18. The Art of Diplomacy

_**Chapter 17- The Art of Diplomacy**_

"It has been hard to be a princess today," she said. "It has been harder than usual."

-A Little Princess

_Leana shifted in her seat before glancing at her father. His eyes were sad, and she could tell that he didn't like telling this part. "I'm sorry," she said softly. _

_He smiled at her, and she felt a little better. It couldn't be too bad if he could smile….right? "Sweet Little Lea," he said. "None of this is your fault. If anything, it was that blasted Lorcan."_

"_Eugene." Her mother's voice was quiet, but her meaning was abundantly clear. "I know you're still angry about this-…."_

_He scoffed. "Angry? Me? I'm beyond angry. It's a good thing that you know what happened to you know who or I'd have gone and done it myself."_

"_Eugene," Mother warned. _

_He ran his hand through his hair and huffed out a sigh. "Oh, all right. I'll stop. But I'm getting angry just _thinking_ about what happened next, so you should tell it."_

_She smiled slightly. "All right, but I don't think I'm going to like telling this part any more than you would. Anyway….._

While Eugene was in jail, I was trying my best to get him out of it. For sure, it wasn't that easy for me, considering I had only had three months of being a princess! Now I had to somehow do diplomacy and international relations all at once. Suffice to say, I needed some help. So the day after that visit I meet with Lord Howard about it. Let me tell you now that it wasn't fun.

We meet in what I like to call the Corona room (but it was really just a room for those of us from Corona could chat with each other). And I didn't mince words either. As soon as we had exchanged the common courtesies, I plunged right into it. "So, Lord Howard," I said. "What should we do to clear Eugene's name? Because he's innocent, of course."

He stared at me for a minute, and I didn't think it was because he hadn't understood what I had said. After all, I had been quite clear. "What are you talking about, Princess? What innocence? They found him in the vault!"

Actually, Prince Lorcan was the only who said that they found him _in_ the vault. The other guards had said _at_; I know, I had asked. Don't you think that there's a big difference between the two? I do. _At_ made so much more sense, considering he had told me he had been there to meet someone. "So?" I said. "That doesn't mean he took it. Why would he want to? What use would he have for it? "

He sighed. "Why did he want to steal the tiara, _your_ tiara, really? Sell it, of course to-if I remember correctly- buy an island. Now isn't that right, Princess?"

I sat upright in my seat, already irritated. "Lord Howard," I said. "I could not care less about the…the…_blasted_ tiara." His eyebrows shot up in surprise at my language, and I couldn't help but feel a slightest twinge of triumph. "If _I_ remember correctly, if it hadn't been for it, we never would have met. Besides that, he's...changed. He's Eugene. And Eugene wouldn't steal anything."

He looked at me again for a long moment, before blinking and speaking again. Very condescendingly. "Princess, I know how you feel about him-everyone does. But be serious. He may be _Eugene_ now, but that doesn't negate the fact that he was the well-known thief Flynn Rider for ten years."

I stared at him, in shock at his words."I don't believe it," I said incredulously. "You think he's guilty?"

He tapped his fingers on his thigh impatiently. "Why should I think otherwise? I'm not the only one to think so either. Almost everyone here thinks the same.

Just then I really wished I wasn't a princess. Because that was the only thing that kept me from wanting to hit Lord Howard. "I see," I said icily. "Well, if you're not going to help me, then I'll find someone who will." I immediately stood up, and with as much dignity as I could muster, I walked toward the door. Before leaving, though, I said one more thing. "By the way, Lord Howard, I don't think you are aware of this-which I must say is surprising for a man of your station-but Flynn Rider _died_. He's gone. There's no man called Flynn Rider to accuse. And I can prove it. Now you just think about that for a moment." Then I left, trying to look strong.

My courageous demeanor lasted until halfway down the hallway that led to my room. Then I almost felt tears well up in my eyes. What was I going to do now? Eugene was locked up in jail, and the one person I thought could help me thought he was guilty. Just like everyone else. Even though I had acted brave, I still had no idea what to do.

Completely lost in my thoughts, I failed to realize that Lord Herbert was close by until I ran into him. Literally. "Oh, Lord Herbert," I apologized. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention."

He smiled kindly. "That's quite all right, Princess. We all have days like that."

"Indeed, yes," I said gratefully. Then I started walking down the hall again, mulling over Lord Howard's and my conversation. I decided then and there that, when I returned to Corona, I was going to talk to my parents about replacing him. He was _awful._ Suddenly I heard Lord Herbert speak again.

"Princess, if you don't mind me asking, is something bothering you?" he asked softly.

I stared at him. Was he serious? "Didn't you hear? Eugene's locked up in jail! Prince Lorcan's accused him of stealing."

A crease appeared in the middle of his forehead. "Is that so?

"Yes. And everybody but me thinks he did it, so they won't help me try to get him out," I explained, a bit amazed I wasn't crying.

"I see," he said gravely. "He is in quite a predicament, isn't he?"

"Yes," I said. You might find this odd, but talking to Eugene's father-of all people-actually was making me feel better. Here was one person who might want to believe me. After all, who wanted their son to be locked in jail? "But Lord Herbert, I know he didn't do it! He swore to me he didn't."

He frowned. "Is that so?'

"_Yes."_

His eyes grew thoughtful as he thought over my words. "Well," he finally said. "If he swore to you that he's innocent, then he is."

I couldn't think for a moment. Did he really say what I thought he did? "You actually….believe me? And him?" I said.

He smiled slightly. "Of course. I'm sure he would never lie to you."

That was true. He didn't. "So, could you help me?"

"I'll…I'll do what I can-…" Lord Herbert's words were cut off, because I immediately let out a small shriek of joy and threw my arms around him.

"Oh, thank you, thank you," I said. "I can't tell you how grateful I am."

He patted my back awkwardly. "My pleasure, Princess. After all-…" His voice lowered. "He is….my son."

I pulled away. "Yes," I said. "Yes, he is. And he's a lot like you."

"I….I suppose."

XXXXXXXXXX

Lord Herbert's and my conversation didn't last much longer than that. He promised that he would do what he could to find evidence or anything that might help us clear Eugene's name. In the meantime, he recommended that I write my parents, and look through my law books because it could be that I would have to somehow defend him. I didn't mind doing so because I love him, but it did make me nervous.

As soon as I reached my room, I did the first of his recommendations. I sat down, pulled out a sheet of paper, and began writing a letter:

_October 23_

_From HRH Princess Rapunzel of Corona_

_To their majesties, King Ostwalt and Queen Guinevere of Corona-_

_Dear Father and Mother,_

_Things have become simply terrible here, and I desperately need you to help me. Prince Lorcan has thrown my Eugene in jail, claiming that he stole their Leabhar Cheananais. I know, though, that he hadn't done it-he swore to me that he didn't. But no one believes me when I tell them that. Even our diplomat, Thomas Howard, doesn't believe me and he's the only one who is qualified to help me in this instance. I have secured the help of another person in this matter, but I'm not sure what the two of us can do against so many other people. Please write me as soon as you can. I desperately need some help in this matter._

_I miss you both dearly. Not many of the Screlandrians are….too kind, and, aside from Eugene and Catherine, I haven't made any friends here besides Princess Leana, Prince Lorcan's sister. She is really very sweet and kind. _

_With all my love,_

_Your daughter Rapunzel _

I sighed, as I folded the letter and placed it in an envelope. Absentmindedly, I dripped wax to seal it, then pressed my ring in as a seal. _Oh, Eugene_, I mused. _How could you have gotten yourself into such a mess_? I reached for one of my law books, and started skimming through it:

_Every person accused of a crime has a legal right to a trial…..the accused must be guilty beyond the shadow of a doubt…..necessary elements of a crime are actus reeus (the actual criminal act), mens rea (a guilty mind), causation, and concurrence…..Defenses for the accused are insanity, immunity, mental disorder, diminished capacity, intoxication, alibi, duress, mistake, necessity, automatism, self defense, provocation…._

I frowned. The book was helpful, but what defense to use? The best one was an alibi, and that wouldn't work because he was so obviously in the location. Necessity was a possibility, though, because Eugene said that he had been there to meet someone…..

"Princess?"

Catherine's voice startled me out of my thoughts. "Yes, Catherine?"

She hesitated for a minute, and then embraced me. "I'm just so sorry, Rap-, I mean Princess." I felt a few tears well up in my eyes and my throat choked up. Catherine's sympathy was just so touching after nothing but dirty looks from basically everyone here. Like it was my fault Prince Lorcan accused Eugene of stealing!

"Thank you," I said. "I- I…appreciate it." A tear trickled my cheek and I quickly brushed it away. "Everyone thinks he did it, Catherine."

Her eyes were serious. "I know."

"You…you don't think he did it, do you?" I don't think I could bear it if she said yes.

To my relief, there was no hesitation. "No!" she said immediately. "No, no, no. Rap-….I mean-…"

I smiled at her. I couldn't help but feel lucky to have a friend like her here."Catherine," I said gently. "You can call me Rapunzel."

"Thanks. Rapunzel," she said awkwardly, like she wasn't quite comfortable with it.

I decided to try and make her feel more relaxed. "But don't tell Lady Gray," I joked. "She'd have a coronary."

She laughed, just like I wanted her to. "I won't." Her eyes grew serious once more. "But, Rapunzel, what are you going to do?"

I let out a deep sigh. "I don't know yet," I said. "I'm fairly tempted to meet with Prince Lorcan and give him a piece of my mind."

She grinned. "Oh, you should do that," she said. "Definitely. And I'd like to see it."

I'm sure she would. "But he is my….cousin, Catherine. Shouldn't there be a better way than confrontation?"

She shook her head vigorously. "No. I don't know about you, but if my cousin threw my betrothed into the dungeon, falsely accusing him of theft, I would likely spit in his eye."

Actually, spitting in his eye sounded like a good idea because he didn't feel much like kin to me. But as a princess, I couldn't do that. Besides, Eugene wasn't my betrothed, just my...well, I guess beau would be the right word. I looked at her. "He's not my betrothed, Cat."

She gave me a knowing look back. "Not yet, you mean. But one day he will be. And one day he'll be Prince Rapunzel too."

I laughed. "You're awfully sure of this. Do you have some kind of secret crystal ball?"

She looked smug. "I don't need one. I just need to see how you act and look at each other when you're together. If I may be so bold, it's pretty obvious to the rest of us that you're in love. Besides, the two of you were meant to be together. You're good for him. And he's good for you." Then she peered at me. "Did you just call me Cat?"

"Uh…yes, I did," I said. "Do you mind?"

"No," she answered. "I like it."

"Well, if I may be bold in return," I said. "It's pretty obvious to the rest of us that you and Philip are in love. And I bet he'll be Mr. Cat some day too."

Her eyes were sad. "I hate it that he's gone."

I put an arm around her comfortingly. "I know. He'll be back soon."

She sniffled, trying to hold back tears. "He will. I just miss him so."

"He knows," I said.

She sniffled once, then twice. "Right. Well, I should get back to work. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine," I answered. Even though I was the furthest thing from it.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Soon, Catherine left, and I decided to write another letter (this time to someone very different than my parents) using my law book as a help.

_October 23_

_From HRH Princess Rapunzel of Corona_

_To HRH Prince Lorcan of Screlandria_

_Dear Sir,_

_I would dearly like to meet with you about a matter of great importance to me, that of Mr. Eugene Fitzherbert's imprisonment. In this meeting I request the following: a formal list of the charges against him and the evidence. I assume that both of these are possible for you to provide, considering you are not fabricating them, which _of course _you wouldn't do. As I'm sure I don't need to tell you, that evidence would not hold up in a Screlandrian court which is bound to the same laws as Corona: Falsified evidence would be suppressed. _

_In this meeting, I will also give you a list of the duties that you are legally bound to give Mr. Fitzherbert._

_Yours respectfully,_

_Princess Rapunzel _

As soon as I finished, I called for Catherine. "Yes?" she asked.

"Get this to Prince Lorcan, as soon as you can."

XXXXXXXXXX

Catherine did as I said, of course, and soon I had a reply back saying that he would meet with me tomorrow at 2. I don't think to tell you that my stomach turned into knots as soon as I read it, or that I barely slept at all that night, tortured by worry.

Actually, the worry didn't leave me in the morning either, and I couldn't eat anything at all. I spent much of the day holed up in my room, reviewing my law books over and over, and looking at the clock almost every other minute. In one sense, it seemed like time was too slow, like 2 would never come. But it did, and I left for my meeting with Prince Lorcan in his office. Once I reached it, I nervously walked into the room, feeling much that I was facing my own execution. Which was absurd, of course, but I couldn't help my dread. I sat down in the rather imposing looking chairs, and waited for Prince Lorcan. I anxiously fiddled with my hands in my lap.

Soon I heard Prince Lorcan come in. "Hello, Cousin."

Cousin! My foot. Generally, I let him call me that, but not today. Not under this circumstance. "Actually, Prince Lorcan, I'd prefer that you call me Princess Rapunzel today, considering what a grave matter this is."

"Ah," he said. "Princess Rapunzel, then." He sat in his chair, completely at ease.

I couldn't help but feel the slightest twinge of annoyance at that. What, was this some kind of game to him? Didn't he realize the agony that I-not to mention Eugene- was experiencing? "Good," I said. "So I assume you have the information I requested?"

He leaned back in his chair, ignoring what I had said. "Can I ask you something?"

_No_. "If it has to do with Eugene and his-…."

He cut me off. "Good. Because I would dearly love to know what you see in that…..peasant."

Somehow I had the feeling he would have called him something much worse. I tried to hide my rising anger from appearing in my voice. "I don't believe that is relevant to our discussion here." You know something? I think Lady Gray would be quite please with my way of speaking. It was very princess-ish. And it pinched like the tiara on my head.

He tapped his fingers impatiently on his desk. "Just answer the question, and then we can talk about the charges."

I sighed. "Fine. I'll answer." I paused. "There are many things that I see-even love-in him: like his smile, his charm, his intelligence…..I don't know if you could be aware of this, considering what you just asked, but he happened to save me back in Corona. He's the first-and best-friend that I have. He…he love me, and I love him. He would do anything for me, and I would do anything for him." After finishing, I glanced at Prince Lorcan.

He looked quite bored. "Yes, touching. And if he asked you to run away and marry him?"

"Prince Lorcan, I don't think-…" _that's any of your business_.

"Just answer the question."

I thought about it for a minute. Would I? I most likely would, because there was nothing that sounded more blissful to me than marriage to Eugene. "Yes, I would. In a heartbeat. Now, if you don't mind, Prince Lorcan, I do believe you said you would talk about the charges now?"

He leaned forward and propped his arms on the desk. "Why do you care so much?"

_Why do you think_? I decided to ignore that remark. "Fine. I can give you my list then instead." I pushed it across the desk. I had seen Eugene glare before and I copied it, crossing my arms and leaning back in my chair.

He stared back for a minute, and then sighed, took the paper, and started skimming it. "Okay."

I blinked once. Then twice. "Really?"

He shrugged. "Sure, he can have a trial soon. Why not?"

"And the palace arrest?"I asked.

"Eh…that's harder. He's been known to be quite good at escaping."

"Please, Prince Lorcan?," I said. "I would assume full responsibility for him. And let's say you set the trial for next Thursday, if you want, he can spend the last few nights down…." I couldn't bring myself to say jail. "Down….down there."

"Fine," he agreed.

"Really?" I said. "Oh, thank you." I jumped up and snatched up the key marked 'Jail cells' by the door.. "Thank you. I'm going to go tell him!"

"But Rap-…."

I raced out of the room before he could say anything else.

XXXXXXXXX

Before I tell you anything further, I have to say that I wish I had been more dubious about Prince Lorcan's sudden agreement. I wish that I had questioned why he suddenly agreed to everything I said. Why couldn't it have occurred to me that he would only agree to something that served his interests? And this would?

But no, I didn't question at all. Instead, I ran happily downstairs to the jail, blowing past the guards. "Eugene!" I called. "Eugene!" He immediately walked to the front of his cell.

"Rapunzel?" he asked in confusion. I took the key and started unlocking the door. "What are you doing?"

I smiled wider than I had in days as I opened the door. "What do you think? You're free!" Suddenly realizing that wasn't quite true, I began to babble. "I mean, not entirely. You'll probably be confined to your room, but you're going to be out of the jail for at least a few days. And you'll have to come back here probably around next Monday before your trial, but still. You're out of here for now!"

Slowly a smile spread across his face, and swept me up in a hug. "Oh, Rapunzel," he said against my hair. "I'm so proud of you. Thank you."

A guard came up behind us. "Princess?" he said sternly. "What are you doing?"

"Don't you know?" I said happily. "He's now only confined to palace arrest, or room arrest. Prince Lorcan told me so."

He held up his hands and sighed. "Well, if His Highness-…."

"Good," I said, cutting him off. "I'll escort him to his room."

And so I did. When we reached his room, we stopped. "Well, I guess you'll be here for now. You won't try to leave, will you? I mean, that was one of the conditions..."

He took my hands and smiled at me. "I won't, providing you come and see me often. And bring me books or something."

I laughed. "I never took you as a reader, but I'll find something for you."

Suddenly he grew serious, reached up and cupped my face in his hands. "Rapunzel," he said. "You amaze me." The he kissed me softly.

Afterward, I couldn't help but smile. "Well, as much fun as this is," I joked. "You should probably…uh…you know."

He grinned back. "Yeah, I should." He walked into the room and quietly shut the door. "See you."

I sighed. "See you."

XXXXXXXXXX

The next few days were a little bit of a blur of time spent with Lord Herbert working on Eugene's case, talks with Catherine and Leana (we were becoming good friends), and visits with Eugene. The visits were too short, but Prince Lorcan said I could only visit him for a half an hour twice a day. They were fun though- I brought him books that I thought he might enjoy (like _Le Morte d'Arthur, The Song of Roland, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. _Of course, one day it was _The Tales of Flynnigan Rider_, even though he laughed and said he had brought his own) and paper and all kinds of nice things. He acted happy, but I knew he was bored to death. One day he asked me something like was this what it was like in the tower and he cringed when I said yes.

All too soon Monday came, and I unhappily walked him back down to the jail again. I almost couldn't leave him there, but he very firmly told me that he would be all right, and sent me back upstairs. I don't think it was because he wanted to, but because he knew it was right that he insisted on it. I did what he said, but I spent the rest of the day in my room, almost feeling guilty that he had to go back there.

The next afternoon I spent in my room with Catherine working on some sewing and me on his case. I had just started scribbling down some more thoughts when suddenly the door opened with a slam. "Princess Rapunzel!" Princess Leana raced into my room, completely out of breath.

I walked over to her, and helped her sit down. "Princess Leana, what's wrong?"

She gulped in deep breaths of air. "It's Lorcan," she gasped. "He's in the process of ordering your Eugene's execution!"

Her words hit me like a blast, and the air completely left my lungs. "_Wha_t! Are you sure?" _Please don't be...please don't be…_

Her face was grave. "Quite. I just overheard them talking about it."

"But he…he can't do that!" I sputtered, barely capable of speech. You know, I had thought that Prince Lorcan couldn't do anything to surprise me but I guess I was wrong. Because I was definetly surprised that he went against my requests like that, not to mention the law…. "Not without telling me or my parents! Besides, he hasn't even had his trial! That's the law."

She shook her head sadly. "My brother hasn't ever been one to…mind the rules, not when it doesn't suit his own purposes."

Suddenly, and amazingly enough, all of my princess lessons, all those long hours of training paid off. Instead of falling in a dead faint then, or my insides turning to mush, they turned to steel. And instead of feeling worried or scared, I felt angry. No, not angry. _Furious_. My back straightened and my eyes flashed. "Catherine!" I ordered. "Get me my cloak!"

She stared out me in shock for a minute, but then she went over and brought it to me. "But what are you going to do?"

"What do you think?"I said. "I'm going to stop him."

* * *

AN: I'm pleased to tell you that everything out of Rapunzel's law books is completely and 100 percent true. In addition to being a history major, I'm a poli sci minor so I have an interest in it. And I decided Rapunzel would be resourceful and smart, and not rash, in her attempts to free Eugene.

I'm also pleased to tell you that the books she gives him were really written during that time, and they actually could have been read by Rapunzel and Eugene. In my mind, they live in the 1500ish, but not much later than that. Can I just say that there weren't many novels back then for me to choose from? haha

In case you wanted to know, there will be around 3 more chapters after this one, and then the Epilogue, but the chapters won't likely be short.

thanks to my readers/reviewers!


	19. Confrontations

AN: A few things:

1. Rapunzel is-understandably- MAD in this chapter. I actually don't mind writing a mad Rapunzel because I love bringing out her spunky side.

2. Darkness before the dawn for both Rapunzel and Eugene, but trust me when I say that everything will end up happily for them (of course! I don't write depressing stories).

3. I don't want to do this, but I'm BEGGING for reviews. I've been working really really hard on this story and I'd appreciate some feedback.

Thank you for reading!

FL 6

* * *

_**Chapter 18-Confrontations**_

"Let me feel now what sharp distress I may."

-Charles Dickens

"Love sacrifices all things to bless the thing it loves."

-Edward Bulwer-Lytton

I ran outside, to where I knew Prince Lorcan and his cronies talked: there was a small house past the garden. When I reached it, I pounded on the door. "Lorcan!" In my fury, I didn't even say his title. "LORCAN!"

The door opened, but it wasn't Lorcan. It was his assistant, Niall. Who pretended to look surprised. "Princess?"

"Where's Lorcan?" I asked angrily.

"Princess…I really couldn't-…" he began, and I knew he was going to tell me some kind of platitude that Lorcan had spoon fed to him.

Unbelievable. Enraged, I reached up, grabbed his collar, and pulled him to my level. "Look," I demanded with a hiss. "I don't care one iota what your orders are. You are going to tell me where Lorcan is, and you are going to tell me _now_."

His eyes widened, like he never expected a princess to act the way I was. Well, I didn't normally act like this- only when I was completely and irrevocably furious. "He's probably…" I glared at him, and held his collar tighter. "In the jail?"

I released him with a jerk. "Thank you," I said shortly.

With as much speed as I could muster, I ran back down to the jail. Once I got there, I hollered Lorcan's name over and over. "Lorcan! LORCAN!" I searched and search for him, but I didn't see him anywhere. Finally, I found him on the stairs to the jail. "Lorcan!'

He turned and looked at me, his face completely blank. "Hello, Princess Rapunzel. How are you today?"

I didn't think I could be more furious, but I guess I was wrong. His casualness brought new fuel to my blazing fire of rage. "How am I doing? How am I _doing_? Are you serious?" I screeched.

"Honestly, Princess Rapunzel," he said. "I really don't-…."

I cut him off, not wanting to hear another word."Oh, save it," I spat. "You know exactly what I'm talking about.

He continued to look innocent. "I don't think I do. What is that you think you know?"

"Princess Leana told me that you're in the process of ordering Eugene's execution," I managed to say through clenched teeth.

Suddenly he looked bemused, much to my irritation. "You heard wrong. I wasn't in the process of ordering Eugene's execution."

"Oh, really?" I said. "Are you saying your sister is lying?"

"Oh, no," he answered."Just that I ordered _Flynn Rider's_ execution."

Now it was my turn to look happy. Here's a possible way out. "Well," I said. "You can't do that. Flynn Rider's dead."

He almost laughed. "Is that so? Because to me, there's a man in a cell that looks an awfully lot like him."

"Prince Lorcan," I said, finally in enough control to say his title again. "I swear to you on my tiara that Flynn's dead. I saw it. " He still scoffed. "You don't believe me? Fine. I'll prove it to you."I grabbed him by his collar and pulled him down the stairs. I yanked his key out of his hand too. "Eugene!" I called. "Eugene!"

Eugene instantly walked to the front of his cell. "Rapunzel?" I opened the door, glancing behind me to make sure Prince Lorcan had followed me, and then I unlocked his door. "Show him your scar."

His eyes filled with surprise. "What?"

"Show Lorcan your scar." He looked at me long and hard-as if to take my measure- then finally nodded. "Okay." He slowly showed Lorcan his scar.

I winced, seeing it again- a bitter reminder of my so-called mother had done. "See, Lorcan? This is where the woman who claimed to my mother stabbed him in the side, and he…." I almost choked on tears and I felt his arm around me, comforting me. "He _died._ But I used to have magical hair that healed but he cut it to save me, and as I cried, my tears managed to heal him. So as you can see, there's no Flynn._"_

Lorcan watched with an almost amused glance, much to my annoyance. "Okay," Lorcan said at last. "Then maybe I'll just change the name on the order to Eugene."

I couldn't believe it. Was he serious? I walked toward him and pushed my finger in his chest. "Why are you doing this? What has Eugene ever done to you? What have_ I_ ever done to you?"

"Besides saying no to my proposal?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered. "Besides that. I don't see how you can hold that against me. I was being honest with you-there is no man but one that I would ever consider marrying in the entire world. Haven't you….haven't you ever loved anyone, Lorcan?"Maybe I could play to his sympathies….

"Yes. You. And you said no, turned me down," he said. "So I can't help but want someone who lied, stole something from my kingdom to be executed."

I flinched, but I did my best to hide it. "Lorcan, the only liar here, I'm afraid, is _you_. Because Eugene would never steal anything from you. He didn't do it. And you know it!"

He smiled. Evilly, it seemed to me. "Please. You think I put 'all my eggs in one basket', as they say? I still have other things I can pin on him. Like his breaking and entering."

Eugene would never break and enter. He was through with that, and I didn't know why Prince Lorcan couldn't understand that. Well, besides the fact that he was a complete psychopath, that is. "That's absurd," I said.

"And the spying," he said, his tone so matter a fact I wanted to smack him. What were the chances of Eugene spying? Slim to none, so I resented his accusation. And I was going to let him have it. "Prince Lorcan, you're-…" I began but stopped when Eugene's breath inhaled sharply. I immediately turned to him. "Eugene, do you know what's he talking about? What spying?" I tried to hold his eyes, but they traveled to the ground. "Eugene?"

He looked back up at me, eyes remorseful, and put his hands on my shoulders. "I'm sorry, Rapunzel."

Instantly I pulled away, shocked as the truth hit me: he would only say "sorry" if it was true. "You were spying? Why didn't you tell me? Instead of…instead of _lying_ to me?" He had been spying? Was that why he had been so secretive lately? But_ why_ would he spy? It didn't make any sense.

"Rapunzel," he said sadly. "I didn't want to lie to you….."

Tears of hurt started to well up in my eyes. "But you did."Despite my best efforts, one slipped out and trickled down. I immediately wiped it away. "How…how could you? After all we've been through?"

He walked closer to me, hands palm up, in a gesture of peace. "Please….let me explain."

I crossed my arms across my chest. "Would you? Would you please? Because I'd really like to know- I'm dying to know why the person I love most in the world_ lied_ to me."

He winced. "Rapunzel, stop. I wanted to tell you, I did, but your parents….your parents made me swear I wouldn't."

Suddenly my frustration tripled-part aimed at Eugene, part at my father, and part at my mother. "_What_? Why?"

"They…they wanted to keep you safe," he said. "…to protect you, I guess."

"Ah," I said as if I understand. Which I didn't. There was no excuse for this. "I see. Well, you can tell them that I don't feel protected- I feel betrayed. By all three of you." I faced away from him, trying to keep from crying.

He put his hands on my shoulders and turned me around. His eyes bored into mine, but I stared at the ground, knowing that if I looked into his eyes I would swim in the utterly beautiful hazelness of them. "Rapunzel, please. I understand that you're upset."

I felt more tears well up in my eyes as I realized that this was what Lorcan had meant when he said he had other things he could pin on Eugene- spying was, as much as I didn't want to admit it, something he _could_ be executed for. "No, no you don't," I choked out. "It's not just about you hiding this from me. If you were really spying, then Prince Lorcan has a legal right to….to-…" I couldn't finish the sentence. "There's not much I can do."

His face was grave. "Oh. Even though your parents asked me to?"

"I'm not sure….I'm not sure it matters. Spies are-…." My voice dropped several octaves. "Spies are almost as detested as thieves," I whispered.

A throat cleared behind us. Prince Lorcan. "Actually Princess, I would be willing to overlook it-…."

Shocked, I pulled away from Eugene's grip. "What?"

He smiled. "If you do something for me. And there's only one thing you can do that will ensure his safety."

"And what is that?" I asked. Money? I had plenty of that….he could even have my tiara if he wanted it. Sometimes I wanted to throw it-and my office as princess- completely away.

"Well…," he said. "In exchange for his freedom, you must give me your hand. In marriage."

Marry Prince Lorcan? Or let Eugene die? Again? I felt my mouth open, whether in protest or assent I really couldn't say. "No, Rapunzel!" Eugene said. "No!"

I hesitated, and glanced at him.

"Rapunzel…please….I'd rather-…" he began, but Prince Lorcan motioned for a guard and he held him back.

Now, you would think that I would have agonized over this choice, but I didn't. I couldn't let Eugene die again, I just couldn't. Not if I could stop it. I hadn't been able to stop it the last time, but this time I could. There _was_ no choice between the two. And Prince Lorcan knew it. "All right, Prince Lorcan," I said slowly. "I agree."

His eyes glittered. "Do I have your word?"

"No!" Eugene cried. "Rapunzel!"

Tears glistened in my eyes. "I'm sorry, Eugene," I whispered. I straightened up, bearing myself up like the princess I was. "Yes, Prince Lorcan. You have my word."

"Good."He turned to the guards briskly. "All right, release him. She might want to say goodbye before we send him back to Corona." Then he walked away. As soon as he was gone, I sank to the floor weakly and tears trickled down my cheeks. Eugene raced to my side and gently brushed my tears away with his thumbs. "Oh, Rapunzel," he said sadly. "Why did you do that?"

I blinked back the tears. "Why?" I repeated. "I can't let you die!"

He sighed deeply. "Rapunzel, do you remember what I said back in the tower?"

I blinked again. The tower….I didn't often think about that day, because it hurt too much, but I sent myself backwards. Excerpts of what he said echoed in my mind_: No, Rapunzel, no_ (Oddly similar to what he just said), _I can't let you do__ this, you were my new dream._ "You said a lot of things back in the tower. Please forgive me that I don't know which one you're talking about."

"Right," he said. "The one I was thinking of was when you tried to heal me with your hair and you said that exact same thing. Do you know what I told you? I told you that if you did it then you would die. Well, you'll die this time, too."

"Eugene, it'll….it'll be okay," I said. Even though I didn't even believe it myself. Because how could my life, my world, ever be okay without him in it?

He echoed my thoughts."How can it be, if you're married to that brute?"_And not to me._ He didn't say that out loud, actually, but I could hear it there anyway. My stomach leapt slightly at the thought of him wanting to marry me, but it sunk again as soon as I realized it would never happen.

"I don't know," I said truthfully. "But I'd rather…it's better…it's better than-…" I nearly choked on emotion. "I can't let you die again." I finally succumbed to my tears and buried my face in my hands. Soon I felt Eugene's arms around me, and heard his voice in my ear. "Shh," he said comfortingly. "I'm here. I'll always-…" His own voice broke then. "I'll always be here." My tears flowed even faster then because I knew he wouldn't be. After this, he would be gone. All the way back to Corona.

And I might never see him again.

I didn't realize until I stopped crying that the top of my hair was wet, and that meant only one thing: Eugene- my fine, strong, ex-thief Eugene- had shed a few tears himself.

A guard cleared his throat behind us. "All right now. Say goodbye."

Eugene pulled away slightly to look in my eyes. "Rapunzel, I love you. And I always will."

"I…I love you too," I whispered. He gently placed his hands on the side of my face, then kissed me like he never wanted to stop. I kissed him back knowing that it might be the last time, and I could taste the saltiness of both our tears on his lips. In the back of my mind I heard the guard cleared his throat again. "It's time."

Eugene nodded at the man, but he looked at me seriously before he stood up. "Don't ever forget me." Then the guards took him away, and I felt my heart rip out of my chest. In a complete stupor, I walked back to my room. And throwing myself down on my bed, I proceeded to cry again, until I fell asleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next week and a half I spent alone in my room. Most of the time I cried myself to sleep when I wasn't staring at the wall in misery. I would also stare at the ceiling, part of me unable to believe that it was really over: I would never be kissed by Eugene again, never be held by him, never hear him call me Rapunzel, never be married to him. Soon I realized that part of me was now broken because of the agreement that I had made with Lorcan, and I finally understood why Eugene said that I would die too. I wasn't physically dead, but some deep corner of my heart-that had Eugene's name on it and all our dreams for us-had died. There were times I thought of the minutes when I thought Eugene died, but this was ten times worse. I knew that he was alive and well, but I couldn't be with him. One day I poured all my agony out in a letter:

_November 2_

_To Eugene Fitzherbert, Caermor, Corona_

_From HRH Princess Rapunzel of Corona_

_Dear, dear Eugene,_

_I can't tell you how much I wish things were different, but I couldn't let you die. I just couldn't! It was torture seeing you die the first time and I can't go through it again. I know you started to say you would rather...I can't even write it. I had to agree. And maybe it won't be that bad-I think he….he might care for me at least a little. I am his cousin, kin. _

_Sweet Robinheart, I miss you. Every minute of every day I think of you, and it's like an ache in my heart that will never go away. I love you; I'll love you forever. You are my dream, and nothing will ever change that. Not distance, not years, not Prince Lorcan, not anything. _

_Eugene, if I have one wish for you, it's that you will really enjoy life. Please, Eugene. I don't want you to pine after me. I don't know if that means that you will go looking for that island again, but search for a new dream. Please. _

_One last thing. Your father was helping me try to free you. As soon as I told him about your predicament, he said he'd help. And he was one of the few that believed me when I said you didn't do it. Do you think you could reconcile one day? If there's one thing I'd want you to do for me, it's to make peace with him. I think…I think you'll find that he cares about you. If you just let him in. _

_With all the love in my heart,_

_Rapunzel_

XXXXXXXXXX

I spent most of my days in silence, refusing to see anyone. Prince Lorcan tried to see me but I told him that if he wanted to keep his head on his body he wouldn't try to talk to me for at least another week. Catherine helped with that too, and kept everyone-not just Prince Lorcan- away from me. So it was a slight surprise when I heard a knock on my door. I looked up from the sketch I was drawing: Eugene and I in the boat on the night of my 18th birthday. "Yes?"

"Rapunzel?" It was Catherine. "There's uh…somebody here…to see you."

I hoped it would be somebody I actually liked. I couldn't bear to act happy when I was the complete opposite."All right," I said. "I'm coming." I opened the door, only to see my parents standing there.. "Mother? Father?" I threw my arms around them and hugged them. "It's so good to see you! What are you doing here?

They exchanged glances. "Well, Prince Lorcan told us we might…uh…want to see your wedding?"

I groaned. "I suppose. I assume he's set a date?"

"Yes," Mother said. "But I must confess to some surprise at it. Don't you still love…Eugene, sweet?"

Tears filled my eyes. "Didn't…didn't he tell you?"She looked confused. "When he came back to Corona?"

"Came back to Corona?"she repeated dubiously.

"Yes!" I cried.

She put her hands on my shoulders."Sweet," she said gently. "We haven't seen Eugene since you both left. Isn't he here?"

"No." Suddenly fury filled me. Prince Lorcan must have broken his promise to me! I

"Well, if he's not in Corona, and he's not here, then where is he?"Father asked.

"I think I have a pretty good idea," I said stonily.

XXXXXXXXXXX

I led my mother down to the jail, while my father begged off, saying he needed to call for backup. The guards looked decidedly _not_ pleased to see me.

"Princess Rapunzel," one said. "We're not allowed to let you in any further. Orders of Prince Lorcan."

"I don't care about your orders," I said icily. "I am coming in, and I _am _going to see Eugene."

"Eugene?" the other said. "Princess, I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, really?" I said. "Forgive me if I don't believe you at all. Let me through."

He shook his head. "Princess, I don't-…"

"I would do what she says," Mother demanded softly. "If I were you."They sighed and let us through. I raced toward the jail cell where I had last seen Eugene.

"Eugene!" I called. "Eugene!" He came to the front of his cell, looking quite the worse for wear. His hair and clothes were all frayed. Another surge of anger tore through me. "Rapunzel?" he said in surprise. "What? What are you doing here?"

I shook my head. "That's not the question. The question is why are _you _here."

He frowned. "That's a good question, actually, considering that Prince Lorcan was supposed to free me once you agreed to marry him."

"What?" Mother asked in surprise. "That's why you were going to marry him?"

"Uh, yes," I admitted.. "But that's not happening anymore."

"Is that so?" I heard a voice clear behind me and we turned around. Prince Lorcan stood before us, a frown on his face. "I thought I had your word."

"Funny," I said coldly. "I think that should be _my_ line." I crossed my arms across my chest. "Considering you promised you would free Eugene if I agreed to marry you. And as far as I can see, you haven't kept it."

"That's a good point," Mother said. "And if that's true, I think we need to have a chat. You know, considering that you're still technically accountable to her father and I."

Prince Lorcan scoffed. "Please. I was only doing you a favor. Do you really want that criminal back in Corona?"

That was it. Completely infuriated, I put my face only inches from Lorcan's. "Lorcan, I've had enough of your insults and your lies. Eugene is….not some scum under your shoe-he's not a thief and he's not a liar. Besides that, he's not even a commoner!"

Eugene cleared his throat. "Uh, Rapunzel… You might…."

In my daze of fury, I didn't even hear him. "Eugene is the son of a lord, one of the most powerful lords in Corona! And as such, he deserves at least something that resembles respect from you."

Lorcan scoffed. "A lord's son? I highly doubt that, Cousin."

I decided in that moment that there was nothing I hated more than being called cousin. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" I snapped. "It's Princess Rapunzel to you. You've lost the right to call me anything else."

He smirked slightly."Fine, _Princess Rapunzel_," he said. "But I still doubt that he's a noble."

I was about to tell Lorcan all, but a new voice spoke from behind him. "Actually, he is. He's my son. And I'm proud of it." It was Lord Herbert. My mouth immediately dropped open. However my surprise was nothing compared to Eugene's. His eyes grew big and his mouth opened wide. I could tell that, for once, he was speechless. I put on my best princess smile. "I'm proud of him too, Lord Herbert. He's an amazing man." I couldn't help but smirk at Lorcan. "Don't you think so, Prince Lorcan?"

He shook his head, clearly annoyed. "No, I don't think so, Princess _Rapunzel. _He may be a lord's son, but I have a feeling he's illegitimate. Which makes him…well, a bastard? Or only half-blue blood? Really, is it any wonder that he resorted to such behavior as thievery with such an upbringing?"

I cringed in anger and I almost, _almost_, smacked Prince Lorcan across the face. "Lorcan," I said, purposefully omitting his title. "You of all people should know that blue-blood doesn't ensure moral behavior. Even nobles are capable of atrocities. Take yourself, for instance." He almost flinched, and I felt some amount of satisfaction. "Besides, Eugene's mother was a true lady."

"She was," said Lord Herbert softly. "Indeed she was."

Prince Lorcan's eyes narrowed angrily. "Well, Princess Rapunzel, I'm not letting him go that easily." To my extreme horror, he drew his sword. And began coming closer and closer to Eugene. Instantly I put myself in between Lorcan and Eugene. "No."

He smiled grimly. "Step away, Rapunzel."

"No," I said. "If you want him, you'll have to go through me first." _Literally._ "Rapunzel," Eugene whispered in my ear. "I can…Just let me…" I shook my head and he fell silent.

"Rapunzel," Lorcan ordered. "_Move_."

I drew myself up tall and mustered all my strength. "Lorcan, this man died to save me, and I am more than willing to do the same for him. No. I won't move. Not now, not ever."

He scowled. "Fine. If you won't move then I'll make you." He abruptly grabbed my arm in a death grip and pulled me away from Eugene. Then, just as abruptly, he pushed me away. I stumbled and accidentally hit the stone wall behind us. My head smashed against it painfully and I started to black out. In the far contours of my brain, I heard Eugene yell something, but I couldn't make out what it was. All the stones, all the cells seemed to blur together in my weakened state.

And everything around me turned to black.


	20. The Final Conflict

AN: Thank you for the reviews for the last chapter! they were very encouraging to me.

Few more things:

1. I just checked the result of my poll, and I saw that 3/4 voted for a Tangled from Eugene PoV. I'm kind of surprised by that, because I thought there had been enough of those, but I'm pleased by it because it likely means that you like how I write him. Which makes me super happy because I don't consider myself to have much in common with him as a person, so it's harder (but fun) to write him well. It's nice to know, though, that I'm succeeding. And I'll definitely consider it, even though I'm getting more ideas for a sequel to this story.

2. It was time for a "Eugene" chapter, but to keep the continuity I cut out any Leana/Rapunzel/Eugene chatting.

3. Only about one chapter left, and hopefully I'll be able to tie up all the loose ends in that chapter. I could possibly add another one, but 20 chapters is so nice and even that i hope i can finish it like that.

FL 6

_**Chapter 19-The Final Conflict**_

"To die will be an awfully big adventure."

-James M. Barrie, _Peter Pan _

"I have no words; my voice is in my sword."

-William Shakespeare

**As soon as I saw Rapunzel's head crack against the wall, I ran past Lorcan, irregardless of what he might do. I glared at him on my way. "Rapunzel!" I cradled her head in my hands, hating Lorcan for what he had done. "Rapunzel!" **_**Please be okay**_**, I thought. **_**Please be okay.**_** A corner of my mind realized that this might have been how she had felt when I was dying. Except there had been something she could do, whereas I could do absolutely nothing. Besides just sit there. For a moment she laid silently, but then her eyes fluttered open. "Eugene?"**

**I exhaled in relief. "Yes! Are you all right?"**

**She touched the back of her head, and winced slightly. "Mhmm, my head hurts, though."**

**Naturally her head hurts. That's what happens when some blockhead pushes you into a stone wall- you end up with a headache. Whereas the numskull who pushed you ends up with nothing. Oh, yes, I was mad at Lorcan. For sure. How could I not? He just brutally shoved Rapunzel-the person I love most- into a wall! And didn't even seem too sorry about it, the brute. "Of course it does," I said. "You cracked it pretty hard against that wall." Soon Rapunzel's mother came up behind us, eyes worried. "Rapunzel, sweet, are you okay?" Rapunzel smiled faintly at her mother. "I've got a headache, but I think I'll be fine." **

**I was about to offer to help her up, but suddenly I felt a sharp prick in my back. I didn't need more than one guess to figure out who it was. I glanced back behind me. Sure enough, Prince Lorcan was there, a scowl on his face, his sword only inches from running me through. "Did you think we were through?" he demanded. **

**I stood up and put on my most intimidating face. "Actually, Lorcan, I did. Considering it's obvious that she will never, ever marry you. Why would she want to be with someone who shoves her against a wall?" **

**His face twisted in anger. "That's it," he said. Then he started to aim his sword right at me. I started to back away only to realize that the only thing behind me was a grand solid wall. Wonderful. Well, I guess I'm going to die. Again. And by the same thing too- a sword. Stupendous. **

**Not. Honestly, if I had to choose how I would die, I don't think I'd pick being stabbed again because swords (in case you didn't know) are sharp and hurt when they are shoved inside your body. They also have the tendency to make your last moments on earth pure agony. There's really nothing like bleeding to death, but I **_**don't**_** actually recommend that you try it. I heard Rapunzel suck in her breath and I almost turned toward her, to say something….profound before Lorcan stabbed me. Like **_**I'm sorry, Rapunzel, that I have to die again right in front of you. Please know that I didn't want to**_**…..Suddenly I heard somebody call my name- that wasn't Rapunzel, her mother, and Lorcan. "Eugene!" It was my…father. "Here!" Much to my surprise, he threw me his sword which I immediately caught. I also remembered the dagger that I had shoved in my boot was still there because most of Lorcan's guards were idiots and didn't think to check my boots for any weapons. I immediately reached down and pulled it out. Then I smirked at Lorcan, and swished the sword in the air. **

**His eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, you have got to be joking," he muttered. **

**Hey, I was no King Arthur, but I knew a little something about swords. I could take Lorcan on, and down too. "I can assure you I'm not. You want to fight? Well, fine. I can fight too." **

**He scowled. "All right. I'll actually get a lot of pleasure of seeing to your demise myself." **

**I couldn't help a retort to that. "Mutual, I'm sure." We immediately began to trade blows, and I found that while Lorcan was very good, I was good too. Who knew, right? But I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised. I mean, the last time I had to fight I only had a frying pan, and I managed to disarm five guards with it (which really shows the great extent of my talent). This time I actually had a sword, which made it a lot easier. I don't honestly know how long we paced back and forth, but it was a while, that's for sure. We didn't talk much either, and the tension in the air was palpable to everyone there. Rapunzel didn't say anything, but I could tell that she was worried, especially when Lorcan managed to slice my arm partly open with his sword. I'm pleased to say that I managed to do the same to his. Actually, that wasn't the only wound I gave him either. Who knew I was so good with a sword? But I guess it shouldn't be that unexpected. You must know that I'm an extremely talented person, capable of many different useful skills. **

**And for a while there, I totally had the upper hand. But eventually, Lorcan managed to get me cornered against a wall again, the swords locked together. He sneered at me. "Ready to admit defeat, loser?"**

"**Never," I said. Then I pushed myself away from the wall, and kicked him in the shins. Since I had somehow caught him by surprise, he started to fall and I took the opportunity to knock the sword out of his hand and pick it up. Lorcan's eyes held some fear, and I couldn't help but feel a slight feeling of triumph. "Now who's the loser?" I said, and aimed the swords at his throat. **

"**Eugene!" I turned around to see Rapunzel shaking her head. "No. You can't do this. Not this way. Let…let me heal him."**

**I looked at her in disbelief. "Rapunzel, no-…." After all he had done, after nearly breaking the two of us up, after almost killing me; she was willing to heal him. "You can't-…"**

"**Yes, Eugene," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "I can." **

**I sighed as I lowered the swords away from him. "You're lucky she's so kind, Lorcan," I said. "If it was up to me, you'd be a dead man." Okay, so not really (I was a thief, not a murderer)-I didn't really relish the idea of killing someone- but it sure sounded good to say it. Rapunzel walked slowly over and knelt next to him. It looked like she whispered something to him, but I couldn't hear what it was. Then she began to sing the incantation softly:**

_**Flower gleam and glow**_

_**Let your power shine**_

_**Make the clock reverse**_

_**Bring back what once was mine**_

_**Heal what has been hurt**_

_**Change the Fates' design**_

_**Save what has been lost**_

_**Bring back what once was mine**_

_**What once was mine**_

**She easily shed a tear (thinking of when I laid like that, I'm sure) and we all waited to see if it would work. Which it did, of course. Soon all of Lorcan's wounds disappeared and the room fell completely silent. Lorcan too, as if he was stunned by Rapunzel's talent. I too glanced at Rapunzel in amazement. She did such unbelievable things. Okay, yes, this wasn't the first unbelievable thing she had done. Of course not. But it was the most **_**unbelievable **_**unbelievable thing she had done. I smiled at her proudly, hoping that she might do the same for me, because Lorcan's sword wound on my arm was starting to hurt a lot. She began to smile back but to my horror, she collapsed. I raced over to her, . "Rapunzel! Are you right?"Her eyes shut, and I carefully cradled her in my arms. "Get help!" I put one of my hands behind her head, horrified when my hand came sticky. With blood. "Someone get a doctor!" It then occurred to me that it might have been like that the entire time, but she had been too worried about me and Lorcan to say anything. Which was completely like her-more concerned with other people than herself. The Queen looked at me, anxiety in her eyes. "Can you take her to her room, Eugene?"**

**I smiled faintly at the queen, then glanced down at Rapunzel lying motionless in my arms. "Of course, your Majesty." She smiled slightly but she still looked concerned. She followed me as I carefully carried her up the stairs, trying to keep from jolting her. Finally, I reached her room and I gently laid her in her bed. **_**Oh, Rapunzel, please be all right.**_** Her face was so pale, and I felt my heart wrench. I gently pushed her hair away from her forehead, and I glanced behind me at the Queen. Who was staring at me, but I couldn't tell if it was a "Eugene, you're awesome" stare or "Eugene, I wish you get your hands off my daughter" stare. "Your majesty?" I asked hesitantly. **

**She blinked. "Oh, I'm sorry for staring. I was just….I was just thinking that I'm glad that Rapunzel has you. What you did down there….it was….you were very brave."**

**I blinked too. "Really? Thank you."**

"**You…care a lot for her, don't you?" she said. **

**I didn't want to contradict the Queen, but I sort of had to. "I more than care for her," I said. **

**She nodded knowingly. "You….love her."**

"**With all my heart."**

"**And she loves you, doesn't she?"**

"**Yes," I said. "Yes, she does." Suddenly, the door burst open and both the King and a doctor came in. The doctor quickly started to examine her, and the three of us were sent out as he did. Finally, he opened the door and walked over to Rapunzel's parents. "She has a laceration on the back her head so I put in a few stitches. The King told me that she smashed her head. Because of that, I recommend she rests for a few days in case of a concussion."**

"**But she'll be okay, won't she?" I asked anxiously.**

**He smiled. "Yes….Eugene, isn't it? She should be just fine." Then his eyes narrowed. "What happened to your arm?"**

**I glanced down, almost surprised to see the deep cut there. In my worry over Rapunzel, I forgot about it. "Oh that? Uh…somebody just sliced it open with a sword."**

**He frowned. "You'd better let me look at that." **

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**The doctor put a few stitches in my arm too, and insisted that I rest for a while too. Reluctantly (**_**very**_** reluctantly) I went to my room at his orders. But I can tell you that I didn't like it-one bit. I didn't want to leave Rapunzel even for one minute. I sat on my bed, wondering what to do with myself. I guessed that I could read on of the books that Rapunzel brought me, but I wouldn't be able to focus on it. Then I heard a knock on my door and I immediately rose to answer it. To my unending surprise, it was my father.**

"**Eugene?" he said hesitantly. "Can I talk to you?"**

**Hmmm. My immediate reaction was to shove the door in his face, but then Rapunzel's voice echoed in my head. **_**He's sorry about your mother. And he just willingly admitted to everyone that he was your father. Plus, he threw you his sword which quite possibly saved your life. Can't you at least talk to him for a few minutes?**_** I sighed, then gestured him in. "I guess." **_**You can be nicer than that! **_** "I mean, of course! Make yourself at home." Or rather, don't. "Now, how can I help you?"**

"**I wanted to tell you something," he said.**

**I sighed again. "I'm listening."**

"**I just wanted to say again how sorry I am about your mother-…." he began.**

"**I'm sorry too," I interrupted. **_**Sorry doesn't cut it, pal. **_

**He flinched slightly, as if he read my thoughts. "I also wanted to ask you to do something for me."**

**Ha! The only thing I wanted to do for him was to push him out the door. However, I didn't voice that opinion aloud. Rapunzel's voice was still echoing in my head, and she was demanding that I hear him out. So I made my face completely blank. "Really? And what would that be?"**

**He hesitated a moment, as if wondering what to say. "I want you to be my heir." **

**Okay, I'm just going to have to interject something here- like if you gave me a hundred, no maybe a thousand, guesses I don't think I would have guessed that. I'm trying to give you a sense of how surprised, shocked, and stunned I was at the moment. So (to illustrate), let's say you took my surprise at Rapunzel's glowing/healing hair and when she told me that she was the lost princess and then multiplied them by about maybe….a trillion (I think that's high enough) you might get close to how speechless I was. And for a second I almost forgot that I hated this man third out of everyone in the world (After Gothel and Lorcan, of course). "You want me to be your what?"**

**He smiled. "I want you to be my heir."**

**Suddenly, I felt the strongest need to hold onto something. "Excuse me, I think I need to sit down. That, or get my hearing checked. Because I thought I heard you say you want me to be your heir."**

"**I did," he said. **

**I definitely needed to sit down after hearing that. So I did, and stared at him. "Why? Why would you want me to be your heir?"**

**He sighed. "Well, you might not know this, but I have no living sons of my own, besides you. None of my daughters do either. And I don't want to leave my estate to just anybody."**

**I guess not being "just anybody" to him was a good thing. "I see." Even though I didn't. I really wasn't sure what he was **_**thinking**_**. Did he suddenly forget that I didn't want anything to do with him?**

"**Right," he continued. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been…well, I've been watching you. And I like what I see. I think that you're a very brave and noble man, who's shown these qualities on many different occasions-like what you did for Princess Rapunzel in the tower and fighting Prince Lorcan."**

**If anybody else had said those compliments to me, I think I would have smiled. But it wasn't just anybody: it was my father. "I see," I repeated. "What makes you think I'd even**_** want **_**to be your heir?"**

**He smiled. "I don't know if you know this, but having a title would greatly help you to win the hand of the Princess. And it could possibly bring all of the stuffy nobles back in Corona over to your side."**

**Wow. I'm starting to see what Rapunzel meant when she said my father was a lot like me: he definitely had a scheming and devious side. I faked a yawn, not wanting him to think I was actually considering his idea. Which I was. I know, I know. Unbelievable, right? But was there anything I wouldn't do to be with Rapunzel…forever? "Hmmm. Well, that's an interesting possibility. Unfortunately, I can't give you an answer right now."**

**He nodded. "I understand. I'll give you time to think." Then he paused for a minute. "Thank you for at least hearing me out without pushing me out the door."**

**Ha! If he only knew how close I had been to doing that. "Yeah, well, don't thank me, thank Rapunzel. She would have told me I had to listen."**

**He smiled again. "I know. Anyway, I'll see myself out." Then he turned around and left. **

**After he did, I sat and stared at the wall for a while, completely stunned by what he had said.**

** XXXXXXXXXXX**

**The next day or so I stayed and "rested", as the doctor ordered. I use quotation marks because I didn't rest or sleep at all because I was too worried about Rapunzel. Finally, I left my room exasperated and informed the doctor that I couldn't rest in my room-it just wasn't working. To my surprise, he understood and told me that if I wanted to, I could sit in Rapunzel's room for a while to give her parents a break. So I practically ran to her room and opened the door as fast and quietly as I could. Only the Queen was there, sitting close to Rapunzel's bed. Rapunzel still was motionless and I felt my heart ache with worry again. **

"**Eugene?" The Queen said softly. "Are you here to give me a break?"**

"**Yes," I said. "How…how is she?" I gestured to Rapunzel. **

**She pursed her lips together. "The doctor doesn't know why she hasn't woken up yet. He's almost positive that she doesn't have a concussion."**

"**Really?" I said. "That…that doesn't sound good." I glanced at Rapunzel again, wishing that her cheeks weren't so white. **

**She looked at me sharply. "Maybe…maybe she's just been waiting for you."**

**I liked that explanation much better than Rapunzel possibly dying. "Maybe." For the first time since her injury, I thought of the person who had given it to her in the first place. "Your majesty, what…have you done anything to…"**

"**Prince Lorcan?" she finished. "Well, actually, Eugene, my husband is questioning him right now about his….scheme."**

**His scheme….If the King knew about it, then that only meant one thing. "So you got my letter?"**

"**Yes," she said. "And I can't thank you enough for your hard work. I'm just sorry you ended up in prison because of it."**

**Me too. I laughed it off though. "Oh, no worries, Your Majesty. You have to know that it wasn't just the spying that got me there: Prince Lorcan wanted me gone so he could marry your daughter." And take over Corona, but I didn't add that part aloud. **

**She nodded. "I know." Then she stood up. "I can trust you to watch over her for a while, right?"**

"**Yes," I said. "You deserve a good rest."**

**A smile crept across her face and she gently held out her hand to me. "I know I haven't said this before, but I'm glad…I'm glad Rapunzel and you are, well, together."**

**I beamed. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I'm glad we are too."**

** XXXXXXXXXX**

**The Queen left soon after that, and I settled into the chair next to Rapunzel. Actually, the chair was quite comfortable, and instead of watching her with my eyes, they grew heavier and heavier. And much to my chagrin, I dozed off. Until a soft voice woke me up.**

"**Eugene?"**

**I immediately bolted up in my seat, relieved that Rapunzel was awake at last. "Yes? Yes? I'm sorry, I just was….tired. Are you all right?"**

**A tired smile appeared on her face. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it, sweet Robinheart." **

**I smiled at her and gently took her hand, thrilled that she was okay. "I love it when you call me that; almost like I'm your hero or something."**

"**You **_**are **_**my hero, Eugene, don't you know that?" she said. "I can't thank you enough for what you did with Prince Lorcan."**

**I shrugged modestly. "Oh, it was nothing, really."**

"**So," she said. "Dare I ask, how is Prince Lorcan?"**

**I scowled. I hoped that, after this trip, I would never have to hear- or see- him ever again. "He's just fine, except for the fact that he's in deep trouble with your parents for attempting to take over Corona through marriage to you."**

**He eyes grew serious. "I see. And I'm guessing you found that out through your spying?"**

"**Right," I said. "I also found out that if he didn't marry you, he would use your healing power to take Corona by force."**

**She cringed. "Oh. That's some plan."**

**That was putting it mildly. Scheme or devious plot seemed a more abet description to me. "I wouldn't be surprised if your parents did something to him. And honestly, Rapunzel, I hope they do."**

**She nodded gravely. "I can understand that. Part of me would like to see that too." Suddenly her eyelids started to droop, and I could tell she was growing tired. **

"**Well, Princess," I said. "There's plenty of time to talk about this later. Right now, you should sleep more."**

**She smiled sleepily. "Right, sleep." Then her eyes opened wide again. "Eugene?"**

"**Hmm?"**

"**When can we go home?" she asked.**

**I smiled and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Soon. Very soon."**


	21. Questions and Answers

AN: last chapter and I know you'll like it :)

thank you for the reviews! I love them, and please feel free to leave one for this chapter.

* * *

_**Chapter 20-Questions and Answers**_

"Someday somebody's going to ask you a question that you should say yes to."

-Old 97's

I love thee, I love but thee  
With a love that shall not die  
Till the sun grows cold  
And the stars grow old.  
~ by William Shakespeare

Actually, we weren't able to go home soon. Not at all. That was partly because I needed to recover from my injury and partly because of the _wonderful _person who caused my injury in the first place. Indeed, something needed to be done about Lorcan. My parents, after long discussion and contemplation, decided to strip Lorcan of his title and charge him with conspiracy. They didn't want to execute him, because he was family (even if he hadn't acted like it), so they sent him into exile. However, the ship encountered a storm, and Lorcan….Lorcan foolishly tried to escape in one of the ship's spare boats and he drowned. Poor Leana was devastated by the news, and my parents decided that we should remain in Screlandria for at least another month for her. That month stretched out into two. By then, it was the middle of December and we _couldn't_ go home because of the snow. My parents also needed to decide who would take over the Screlandrian crown. Of course, Leana, being the princess, was the obvious choice, but she couldn't do it without marrying. Yes, I know. Crazy law, right? But you have to remember that things were different then, and most queens weren't like Elizabeth I. For several weeks, the crown remained in limbo until Leana joyfully told us she was engaged to Geralt. Now that the crown was secured, my parents returned to Corona. But they wanted Eugene and me to stay in Screlandria, much to my dismay. So, we had to stay until spring, until Leana married Geralt.

The days were long and gray that winter, but there were a couple of bright spots amidst them. Like how close Eugene and I became. He already was one of my friends, along with being my one true love, but in those long winter days he became my best friend too. And we had long chats about anything and everything.

One day he told me about his father's offer. "Rapunzel," he said. "Did you know that my father offered to make me his heir?"

"Really?" I said. "Are you going to say yes?"

He sighed and ran one hand through his hair. "I don't know." He glanced at me. "What do you want me to do?"

Surprisingly, I didn't really care either way. Now I don't mean to say that I didn't care what he did, because I did. And still do. But I didn't care what his name_ was_. I loved him when he was Flynn, I loved him when he was Eugene, and I would love him if he suddenly became a Seymour. It didn't make any difference. It was the wonderful man within him that I loved. "Honestly? I want you to do whatever will make you happy."

"But wouldn't….wouldn't you like it if I was a lord?" he asked.

You know I love every bit of him, but he could be exasperating sometimes- those times when he didn't seem to be hearing what I was saying but some made up things in his head. For instance, somewhere deep inside his brain he thought he wouldn't be enough for me if he wasn't a noble. Which meant he was listening to the silly nobles here. Still! "Eugene," I said firmly. "I don't care if you're a lord, a baron, or an earl! It makes no difference to me. I love you just the way you are."

"Well," he said with a frown. "You're probably the only one who thinks that. All of the noble here have their nose so stuck up in the air…"

"….they'd drown when it rains," I finished. I had heard something like that a million times. Sometimes it grew old, even if it was completely true. Most of the nobles here-except Leana, Geralt, and Lord Herbert- were as stuffy as the ones back home. "I know. But what I want to know is why you care so much. We're going to be leaving here soon enough, even if it doesn't feel like it."

"Rapunzel," he said. "It's not just the nobles here though, and you know it. They're back in Corona too.I'm thinking seriously of accepting my father's offer just so they'll stop looking at me like pond scum on the bottom of their shoes. Maybe if…maybe if I was a lord's son…"

….They'd stop acting like he wasn't good enough for me. I decided it would best if I didn't tell him that he (and his father) would have to endure the ridicule for the whole….illegitimacy thing. "I'm okay with whatever you decided. But you do know that if you accept your father's offer, you'll have to spend time with him on a fairly regular basis."

He winced. "I know. But if I was going to be a lord, your parents might be happier if I were to…." He paused briefly as if he wasn't sure what to say. "…let's say ask for your hand."

I looked at him sharply. "My….hand? You do know what you're saying, don't you?"

He looked at me intensely. "You would say yes, wouldn't you?"

For a moment I felt as if I couldn't breathe. He wanted to marry me some day! Oh, sure, he wasn't proposing, but still. My heart soared.

"Wouldn't you?" he repeated.

"Yes," I said softly. "Oh, yes."

A slow smile stretched across his face. "Good."

XXXXXXXXX

If you can believe it (and amazingly enough) he actually didn't say anything about marrying me for at least a few months- until we were back in Corona once again….and until he had decided that he would accept his father's offer. I know. To be honest, I was surprised too. But to be brutally honest, I was glad- I was glad that he and his father were finally getting along. I guess it took him almost dying (again! Eugene, if you truly want to know, has more lives than a cat) to let Lord Herbert into his life again. Of course, it could have something to do with the fact that he basically saved Eugene's life by throwing him that sword. Otherwise, Prince Lorcan might have succeeded with running his through Eugene. It's hard to be angry at someone who saved you and was willing to admit that they were wrong. I think that a corner of him continued to blame his father for his mother's death, but they were civil to each other, and I think I even spotted them laughing one time. Personally, I didn't find that too unexpected. After all, they did have a similar sense of humor, in addition to their other similarities. I believe that's why they eventually were able to reconcile- their similarities bonded them together whether they liked it or not.

I remember being so happy that spring…happy to be back in Corona, happy to be back with my parents, happy to be with Eugene, happy that he and his father were getting along, and happy that for once, I could decide what I wanted to do on my birthday. Well, that's what I had thought then. But it wasn't long before I realized that both my parents and Eugene had their own ideas of what I should do for my birthday in June. And neither would tell me what those ideas were. Okay, that's not completely true. My parents eventually told me that they would like to have a small party for me, and I agreed, as long as it wasn't on the day of my actual birthday. That day was reserved for me. And Eugene too, because he had a very clear idea of what I should do. But he wouldn't tell me anything about what he was planning, even though I was fully aware that he was planning something. You might not know this, but he has very expressive eyes. So I can always tell when he's scheming. I nagged, and nagged, and nagged him to tell me, but all he would ever do was smirk and say if he told me what he was planning then it wouldn't be a surprise and didn't I trust him to come up with something that I would like. I would say back that I did trust him, but that didn't keep me from being curious. I think I was probably quite annoying, but he never complained. He would only get this glimmer in his eyes and say something like you're going to love it.

And of course I did. The morning of June 6, I woke up to Catherine bring me a tray of breakfast in bed and she told me (with a big grin-I'm guessing she knew what Eugene had been up to) that this was only the beginning of what was going to be the best birthday of my life. Then she further told me that I was supposed to wear something special today and that something special turned out to be the purple dress that I wore for my birthday the previous year. It was then that I realized what (partly anyway) he had been up to- he was going to re-enact what happened on my 18th birthday.

And that's exactly what we did, and it was just as wonderful as it had been the first time. Actually, parts of it were even better because I was with the three people that I loved most in the world and I didn't have to worry about….Gothel or the Stabbington Brothers ruining it. I have to say, though, that during the day I looked forward to the boat ride and the lights most of all. Because the last time, Eugene had almost kissed me and it was one of the most romantic moments of my whole life. Of course, I loved the thought of the lanterns again too, because they made ordinary moments made my last birthday night perfectly magical. And I was sure that they could do the same for this year too.

And you know? As it turned out, I was absolutely right.

XXXXXXXXX

You might be curious as to what we talked about that boat ride….like did we say the exact same things. Well, I'm happy to tell you that it didn't go that far. Besides, I didn't need to ask about the lost princess this year, because I _was_ the lost princess, and I didn't need to ask if the lights would be all I dreamed because I knew that they would be. And they were just as beautiful the second time. You might find it amusing that I had the same urge to send a lantern up as it drifted by us. And you might find it further amusing that I leaned out of the boat again, determined to send the lantern in the sky. Suddenly I felt Eugene's hand on mine. I turned toward him with a smile. Much to my surprise, he looked quite….nervous about something, and a nervous Eugene was not something that happened too often. His mouth opened. And closed. Then opened and closed again.

"Eugene," I said gently. "Is there something that you want to tell me?"

A slow smiled spread across his face. "Yes. Yes, there is."

"So?" I said. "Tell me."

His eyes grew serious. "Rapunzel, you know I love you, don't you?"

I smiled. "Yes, my sweet RobinHeart, I do. And you know I love_ you_, don't you?"

He smiled back. "Yes. So, will you do something for me?"

"Of course."

He took something out of his pocket, placed something in my palm, and curled my fingers around it. "Marry me?"

For a moment, I was completely speechless. "I…I…don't know what to say." Inside though, my brain was singing joyfully _he asked me, he asked me_ over and over again. I didn't think I could have been happier that I had been that night, but I guess I was wrong. Because I knew that all of my dreams about me and Eugene could come true. The dream that I had begun to hold close to my heart exactly one year ago was finally within my grasp: All I had to say was one simple word.

"Well," he said with a grin. "I can help you with that. This is when you're supposed to throw your arms around me and say yes, telling me something about how you never imagined that somebody as wonderful as me would _ever _ask -…."

I couldn't help it: I laughed. "You are so silly! Isn't this supposed to be a serious moment?"

"I tried to be serious!" he protested. "But then you didn't say anything. Do I need to ask you again?"

"Actually," I said teasingly. "You do. I'll be ready this time."

"Okay," he said. "But you'll have to give me the ring back first. And don't complain if I make a long speech this time. I actually have some sap and romantic mush that I could say."

I handed it to him, and stared at the lights again. He took my hands again with a grin, but then it vanished and I could tell that he was going to talk seriously. "Rapunzel," he began. "Sweet, sweet Rapunzel. I have to take this moment to tell you how much I love you-from the top of your hair that I managed to cut so well to the tips of your cute feet. I am ever so glad that you hit me with that frying pan of yours because along with knocking me out, you knocked some sense into my hard skull. You showed me that Eugene was worth something….you basically saved me when I saved you. I know this is cliché but I can't live without you. And I don't want to. So," he put the ring back in my hand and curled my fingers around it. "Rapunzel, will you marry me?"

I smiled, this time knowing exactly what to say. "Yes. A thousand times, yes! There's nothing that I would like to do more than marry you."

He beamed a huge smile. "I knew you'd feel that way."

I felt that I needed to interject something. "But-…"

He frowned. "But-…."

"But I think we should," I continued, stumbling over my words. " ….wait a while. For my parents' sake. And yours. Let things calm down some…and let me plan my dream wedding." I watched his face closely, hoping that he wouldn't be too disappointed. But I felt that I needed more time with my parents before I married and "left them" in a sense.

He sighed deeply. "Well, I wouldn't want to keep you from planning your dream wedding," he said. "But if we wait, I don't have to keep asking and asking and asking you, do I? Because as much fun as the agony of waiting for your answer was..."

"No, silly!" I said. "I already told you yes." Though I would tell him yes as many times as he wanted me to.

A smile crept back on his face. "Good. Because here's my favorite part of this whole proposal."

"And what," I asked, completely curious. "Is that?"

He smirked and drew me closer to him. "The part where I get to kiss you, of course!" Then he kissed me, and I felt my heart soar. And in that moment, I didn't think that I could be any happier. Everything in my life was almost perfect.

Finally we broke apart, and I remembered that I still had the ring in my hand. I opened my palm to look at it. I glanced at him.

"Go ahead," he said with a smile. "Look at it. I thought you might like it. It's actually my father's mother's ring. Once I told him that I was going to propose, he insisted that I give it to you."

My breath caught as I finally looked at- the ring was thin, but solid gold, a diamond in the center surrounded by two emeralds. "Oh, Eugene…." I said, unable to say anything further.

He grinned. "So you like it?"

"I….I love it." It was the most beautiful, most wonderful ring I had ever seen. Plus, it symbolized that we were promised to each other and would be married one day.

"I thought you would," he said. "I like it too especially the emeralds- they're just like the ones in your face."

I blushed slightly. "Thank you." I cautiously held the ring out to him. "So, do I have to put it on?"

"No," he said. "I can do that for you." He gently slid the ring on my ring finger on my left hand, and smiled at me, total joy in his eyes.

I smiled back. And, as I did, I finally realized that my new dream- the dearest dream, the wish that my heart made- was going to come true. I was going to marry my beloved Eugene.

And we were going to live happily ever after.

* * *

only the epilogue left! I hope you enjoyed this story because I certainly enjoyed writing it. And as for Lorcan, I had to get rid of him-he had to die somehow because I didn't want there to be any possibility of him coming back to haunt Eugene and Rapunzel.

I have other good news for you- I have two stories about them that i'm thinking of writing and I have the name for one of them

So, by results of my poll...the next story is:

Chasing Daydreams

Flynn Rider had one goal: steal the lost princess's crown, sell it, and buy the island he always dreamed of. However all that changed the day he meet the girl with one very hard frying pan- and the crazy long hair.


	22. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

_Mother fell silent, but her eyes still spoke volumes. Actually, both her mother and father's eyes spoke volumes. They were looking at each other in that way again, as if they were the only two people in the room. Leana decided that, for once, she was going to interrupt them._

"_Mother, that's a-…" she began, pausing as she tried to figure out which word to use. Ultimately, she decided to use her father's favorite. "…stupendous story! Thank you for telling it to me."_

_Mother blinked for a moment, and then smiled. "You're welcome, sweet. I just hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed telling it."_

_Father frowned. "Hey," he protested. "I told parts of it too. What about me?"_

_Mother glanced at him mischievously. "Well," she said slowly. "I _suppose_ you told your parts well."_

"_You _suppose?_ Really?" he said incredulously. "I made them laugh way more than you did!" _

_Leana grimaced. She hadn't meant for her parents to start squabbling about who told the story better. She looked at her brothers helplessly. _Do something,_ she pleaded with her eyes. Flynn just smirked, Edward just kept his perpetual smile, but Arthur nodded. Typically, Arthur was the only one who understood what she meant. And as usual, Arthur was the one who stopped them from bickering. "You both told it fantastically," he said diplomatically. _

_Father smiled once again as he turned to Mother. "Rapunzel," he said. "How did we manage to have a son with so much tact? I mean, as many wonderful traits as I have, I don't really think that diplomacy is one of my strongest ones. So where did he get it?" _

_Mother smirked, much to Leana's amusement. "Where do you think? I did put up with all those lessons about diplomacy, you know. And I _did_ get you out of jail back in Screlandria."_

"_Ah," he said. "That is true..." _

"_Of course it is," Mother said briskly. "And on that note…." She looked significantly at Leana and her brothers. _

_Leana sighed, certain that she know Mother's meaning: it was time for bed. Again. Well, she didn't want to go to bed once iota, but by the slant of the moonlight, she realized that her parents had already let them all stay up much later than normal. "All right," she said. "I'm going to bed now." She stood up, and sent a meaningful look toward her brothers. _

_Arthur immediately smiled and said, "I'm going too," as he left the room. Edward followed him cheerfully. Flynn followed him grudgingly. Typical behavior of all three of them. _

_Leana turned to do the same, but her mother's voice stopped her. "Thank you, sweet." _

_Leana smiled slightly. "Oh, it's no trouble, Mother. I know if I go, they go." Even though Leana had just told her mother it was nothing, sometimes it_ was_ hard being the oldest- everyone seemed to expect more of her. If Flynn wasn't so….Flynn they would probably expect more from him too, considering he was the second oldest. As it was, they expected nothing from him. Well, except a headache and lots and lots of witticisms, that is._

_Father laughed. "Or Arthur will _make _them go." _

_Mother chuckled. "So true. Dear boy."_

_Leana silently agreed with her mother. Arthur really was a dear. She knew some girls in the castle sometimes complained about their ten year old brothers, but she never had any qualms about Arthur (or Edward either). It was always Flynn that annoyed her, but considering how Father was, maybe Flynn would turn out all right one day too. All he needed was the right girl…. "Right. Well, I'm going off to bed now." _

"_Would you like me to come with you?" Mother asked. "I can…."_

…_.tuck you in. Leana knew that's what her mother meant, and somehow she didn't really mind today. It would give her a chance to ask her mother her final question about the story. "No," she answered softly. "Please do."_

_ XXXXXXXXXX_

_Back in her room- and as her mother tucked the covers around her- Leana asked her final question. "So I was named after Princess Leana because she warned you about what her brother was going to do?"_

_Mother smiled. "Yes. I couldn't help but be grateful to her for all her help in the Lorcan incident, and in another matter. Plus, she was- and is- one of my dearest friends."_

_Leana's brow wrinkled in confusion. "But I don't remember any Leana from our visits to Screlandria."_

"_That's because both she and Geralt changed their names at their coronation," she said. "You know them as Prince Gerald and Princess Lena."_

_Leana's eyes lit up. "Oh, now I remember them," she exclaimed. "They were so nice to all of us last winter when we went to Screlandria."_

"_Of course they were," Mother said softly. "They're wonderful people." She paused for a moment. "So, Leana, how do you feel about your name now?"_

_Leana thought for a moment. Indeed, it was her name that had started the whole story in the first place. Hmmm. Well, she decided, it was different from everybody else's name here, but she realized that differences could be a good thing sometimes. Besides that, her name would always remind her of her parents' wonderful story, and the brave princess who helped save her father from Lorcan. Really, without Princess Lena, Leana herself might not have been born! "I like it," she told her mother earnestly. "I really do."_

_A slow smile appeared on her mother's face. "I'm glad. Goodnight, my sweet Leana." She bent to kiss Leana's forehead, then walked toward the door. _

"_Goodnight, Mother," Leana said. Then she remembered that her mother had said that Princess Lena had helped her mother again. "Mother, what 'other matter' did Princess Lena help you with?" _

_Her mother's eyes twinkled. "That's another story for another time. Sweet dreams." She shut the door behind her softly. _

_Leana snuggled down to sleep. Another story for another time, indeed. Her curiosity was definetly piqued by that. But she could ask about it some other day._

_For now, she just wanted to sleep and dream about her parents' grand adventure in Screlandria. And the brave princess that she was named after._

_ THE END_

* * *

_AN: _So, I'm really sorry that it took so long for me to get this up. I just had a really hard time writing it, and then I started to write Chasing Daydreams an_d _so this was kind of put on the shelf. It's still not everything I wanted it to be, but sometimes that's just the way it is with stories with me: sometimes I'm perfectly happy, and sometimes I'm not. But oh well.

For the names of the characters I was quite careful in the ones I picked because I wanted their names to reflect their characters. Since the story is over now, here is a list of the names of all my characters and their meanings:

Andrew, Rapunzel's tutor: manly, brave, wise

Arthur, Leana's brother: stone, bear

Catherine, Rapunzel's maid and friend: pure

Ciara, one of Rapunzel's maids: black

Edward, Leana's brother: happy, prosperous

Eugene, Rapunzel's beau, later fiancé: well born, noble

Flynn, Leana's brother: red one, son of the red one

Gerald/Geralt, Princess Leana's fiancé, later husband: rule of the spear

Guinevere, Rapunzel's mother, queen of Corona: white, fair, blessed

Herbert, Eugene's father: bright, famous, army or warrior

Ian, servant who helps Eugene: God is gracious

Leana, Rapunzel's daughter; other Leana, the princess of Screlandria (Lena): bright one, shining one, light

Lorcan, prince of Screlandria, nemesis of Eugene: little fierce one, cruel, fierce

Margaret, Rapunzel's etiquette teacher: pearl

Neasa, one of Rapunzel''s maids: not gentle

Niall, Lorcan's assistant: champion, cloud, passionate

Ostwald, Rapunzel's father, king of Corona: divine power, rule of God

Philip, Rapunzel's horse riding teacher, Catherine's beau, Eugene's friend: lover/friend of horses

Thomas, Corona's diplomat: twin

Vivian, Eugene's mother: alive, lively

Thank yous:

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed this story! I really appreciate the time you spent reading my writing.

It might sound odd, but my parents owe a thank you here too for helping me with this plot- my dad came up with the whole spy bit, and my mom with how Lorcan died...so THANK YOU.

FL 6


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